THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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C  AL(    IT  TA, 


BT  TUB 

REV.  JOHN  N     XiUtrDN.  D.D.. 
*■•■••  >  PAKna  :"  "MinKr  Kxaiio** ;"  -  ura  or 


X  rkwwtor  »m4  ttamt*;  t 


-  i:  W    Y  O  U  K  : 

Crnrnl   D(olr«T.in!    Ep.»rop.iI   ibuno.111  ^rt)ool    flnion 
anO  Cbuub  ilooh  :iorirtp, 

t  4  B     U  U  iJ  A  U  W  A  Y  . 


Entered,  acconling  In  Act  of  Cont^rr**,  lo  the  rc*r  IMI^ 
By  the  Gineual  Protimtaxt  Eri«rorAL  i>i-!<DAT  ScaoOL  UsiM 

AND   ClIL-KCU    UOOK    SoCirTT, 

In  the  Clerk's  Ofllce  of  the  DlMrlcl  Court  of  the  fnltcd  SlMlm  telto 
Southern  District  of  New  York. 


William  Dkxyse, 

8tkkf.0ttper  and  electbottpkb, 

1S3  William  Utreet,  y.  y. 


PUBLISH  i:i) 

ni  not  oil  TiiK 

^fftrings  of  Ibt  .^unb.iii   $£l|ool 

or 

omm::   . 

CAWBRIDGE. 

M  AS  S  A<    II  t   S  i;  1  I  S. 


550571 


THK  UT.  iiKv.  (;uK(j()i:v  T.  iu:i)i:i.i..  d.d.. 


It  *••  mjr  prlTilrgf,  <luriii|;  my  Smitnary  enurme,  lo  Ix?  ■  frcquriit 
altcndanl  upon  jnur  minittmUniu  In  »w  Yurk,  anil  my  0rsl  aii<l 
only  pariah  hail  rrrt-Ool.  in  lU  rarly  ilaya,  mual  2<'nrri>u«  a>alolaiir« 
ttma  jTMurk,  In  rrmmitiranre  ■•/  whtrh  II  bear*  lU  namr.  Tbeae 
beU  wccralf.!  Lhr  |>r<>|iru'ly  ••( 

DrDtrating  ttis  Uooh  to  Vou. 

I  tm«i  that  ihc  lUM-iiy  (hut  taken  may  noi  )><•  ilUplpaalnf;  to  you, 
•lace  thr  memory  of  HUIii>|i  Wllaon  mud  Ur  ilrar  lu  yuur  brait. 

That  Qo4  may  grant  you  a  loof  and  houurcnl  carver,  like  bU,  la 
IIm  wrller't  bumble  prayer. 

!• 


'•Bishop  Wilson's  energy,  his  truly  cvangrlical  love  of  ioul*,  hit 
distinguished  liberality,  his  missionary  spirit,  his  fenrlessnesa  in 
speaking  out  whatever  he  thought  ought  to  b«  salJ,  his  slrapliclty 
and  transparence  of  character,  his  love  for  lloly  Scripture  and  f<»r 
prayer,  his  fervent  personal  piety— all  these  rightly  won  for  him  the 
reverential  alTecllon  of  all  who  were  brought  near  him." 

Church  Jonrnal  for  April  4th,  \960. 


"Daniel  "Wilson  was  a  model,  as  a  Christian  Bishop— the  most 
admirable  combination  of  evangeliral  truth  iin«l  apostolic  order  of 
whom  we  have  ever  read.  He  dearly  loved  the  Gospel.  Chrltt 
was  to  him  all  In  all.  At  elghty-slx,  he  was  as  full  of  zeal  and  lore 
for  the  salvation  of  souls  as  in  the  early  hour  of  holy  devotion  t'» 
the  mlnistr>'  of  reconciliation  ;  and  withal  he  was  so  sound,  so  true, 
so  earnest  a  Churchman,  in  the  very  best  sense  of  that  much-abused 
word,  that  he  soemod  the  imbodlmciit  of  the  principles  of  our  gl.i- 
rious  Reformation,  breathing  the  very  spirit,  as  he  held  fast  by  the 
Scriptural  doctrines,  of  the  Prayer-Book." 

Southern  EpUcopalian  for  May,  1640. 


!•  i:  i:  r  \  ce. 


A»  a  college  Btudcnt,  tlu-  writor  u»e<l  to  rei-ilo,  on  Mon- 
day In^•^tin^;^,  «  vi  ry  iin.nul.lc  lfi*un  from  Bishop  Wil- 
■un's  Evuithee*  vf  ChruttanU^—n  work  n-frrrtil  to  in  tiie 
narrative  which  follows.  Having  fornie^l  the  iic.|Uiiint- 
aocc  of  thiit  go«»l  mtu\  thus  early  in  life,  he  uIwuvk  rem! 
with  interml  wlmte\ei  Miut  pul>liAheil,  ironi  lime  to  tiiiic, 
O'UivruinK  hii«  nhun>iiuit  iulN.rx  in  India  ;  luxi  he  regiiidit 
it  aa  a  hij;li  |.ri\iieKe,  iiidce.1.  that  lie  in  permitted, 
through  theM  i>ii^'n«,  tu  do  sonuthiiig  t^^wtlrd^  jierpiluiit- 
iug  his  meuiury. 

The  life  ol  lii^hop  Wilion,  liy  hi^  Hon-in-luw  and  linst 
chaplain,  the  Itev.  Jiwioli  Uutcman,  is  u  treuiture-houiio  of 
facta,  and  thii>  unpretendinK  volume  could  hardly  have 
bwn  pre|iare<l  without  it.  But  uhile  the  clerpy  will  never 
ciuplttin  ol  that  work  Oh  heinj;  Uh,  Iouk,  theie  aie  thou- 
RKuds  of  the  laity  who  woijj-l  mver  tiud  time  t.i  rea«l  it. 
We  trust,  therefore,  that  we  are  introtlurin^;  the  late 
Binhop  of  Cakulta  to  many  who  might  otherwiw;  have 
bt«n  almost  strangers  to  him. 

Whatever  fault*  may  U-  found  in  regard  to  arningo- 
ment  or  style,  the  writer  is  c«inlident  that  all  must  give 
him  cre<lit  for  the  strictest  honesty  of  purpose,  and  a  sin- 
cere desire  to  record  nothing  but  the  truth. 

F»Ai»KroiiT,  Kr.,  Xur.,  1960. 


Fbom  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 

From  India's  coral  strand, 
Where  Afric's  sunny  fountains 

Roll  down  their  golden  sand  ; 
From  many  an  ancient  river, 

From  many  a  palmy  plain, 
They  call  us  to  deliver 

Their  land  from  error's  chain. 

What  though  the  spicy  breezes 

Blow  soft  o'er  Ceylon's  isle, 
Though  every  prospect  pleases. 

And  only  man  is  vile  : 
In  vain  with  lavish  kindness 

The  gifts  of  God  are  strewn ; 
The  heathen  in  his  blindness 

Bows  down  to  wood  and  stone. 

Shall  we,  whose  souls  are  lighted 

With  wisdom  from  on  high- 
Shall  we  to  men  benighted 

The  lamp  of  life  deny  1 
Salvation  !  oh,  Salvation  ! 

The  joyful  sound  proclaim. 
Till  each  remotest  nation 

lias  learned  Messiah's  name  ! 

BiSBOF  ILebeb. 


OON  r  KN  TS. 

CllMTTM   I. 

^l„i-.|  »n   n     ^    ^. Mi.i,rv.rMr..l     Kncn-. «  in  bu- 

<     L.II.T  1..  u  •■•i> -'I '"""pn"- 
iit     A  irii.-  |M.rtrn  I,  with  nil 

.  ,„ rl  un.lir  the  .Irura.lInK  IiiHu 

•  l-rmr  for  ihc  l.t.Ui»t«''-0«l'»  g«clou*  ileal- 
,,  .  ^  jM-.ci- f..r  Uu- »..ul " 

CHAITKU    11. 

Dlfflr«IU«  In  thr  w.y  of  .MitrrlnK  iho  mlnlMry    C..nMiIUII..n. 

-  M,   .  v.rui    .l.r->Mi.ii     Hi*  fiitti.r  r..n«-iilii  (o   hi*  IfnvliiR 
*  ""  '     -  '.'r     ITnll  -l>iii.ni- 

■  iijiMCc  ">f  U'lnjiiu- 
-     1' ■....■*   III.-   nnnl 

'.  ir»  - 
'  ■                                                                                         .   uii>r- 
i^^\,i  .>x.ofJ      Marr.atfc      =oUi..-    »..-..wmI  m   Mr.    >S  .I-mu.'.    ^ 
ehildrcD 

CUAITEU   lU. 

DutiM  •I  Oif.H-Cunilr  nf  Worlon-AlleinpU  to  b<rn<nt  Iho 
^un...-r.r..ln,....-r,v..r...M..w..rW..r...^^^^^^^ 

r"'--?'  •  sir  ■r^T' linn:;: 

the  t>»nUucnt-KlrBl  I.  swm*  in  th.-  sch-wl  of  afflutlon 

CHAFrEU   IV. 

Mr.  Wll^m  «ppe»r»  In  «noih.r  p„lp,l-Min(tton-The  last  In- 
rumtH-nl-.'n.  pary  .l.-liRhU-.l.  a.nl  Uu-  -.Ih.r  "VI';^'„  f  "f,  ,^.I 
Th..  new  VunrV  Hr.t  ..•rn...n-\ValliMB  the  I.-r.  »  K?'^"  •>''";- 
Worldly    wl»aom-All    diOicullicB    hormouiwd  -     >o    such 


50 


X  CONTENTS. 

thing  as  getting  a  comfortable  game  at  cards  :"-9ittine  In  lh« 
pulpit-Efforts  for  additional  ehurcli  accommodation -1)H«- 
cullies  in  the  way-The  first  meeUng  of  the  .y'»<^* -"^'^^f, 
service  begun-Improving  health -Circular  Icllor  m  rc(r«rd  to 
building  new  churches-The  final  adoption  ol  the  plan  prrv 
posed-Application  to  the  Church  Commissioners—'  I  »■""'"*  „ 
unto  them  that  dream"-Fifleen  Sunday-schools  esimbluhed . .     .» 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  storm  brewing— The  afternoon  lectureship-A  long  and  pain- 
ful struggle  brought  to  ii  pcaci-abli>  end  -  P.-rsuaslv.-  mfliimrr 
—The  Cross  taken  iip-t^evere  aftlution-Mrs.  \\  Hson's  i>tcli. 
ness  and  death— "The  same  yesierday.  and  t.wlay,  and  for- 
ever" —  Resignation  —  Large  Coiinrmati"n  —  I'repnrnlion  for 
first  Communion  -Prosperi'Us  --ondition  of  the  parish- Consc- 
oration  of  the  iliree  new  churches  Freidpm  fro  n  debt— Ap- 
poipimeut  of  clergymen— The  Lord's  wort  proapering tl 

CHAPTER  VI. 

The  private  journal  once  more  resumed— Mr.  Wilson  enter* 
upon  his  fitly-third  year— Honest  confe>sions  of  n  contrite 
heart— Islington  in  an  uproar— Cause  of  the  disturbance  The 
praver  of  faith  receives  an  answer  of  peace — \  voice  from 
India— Death  of  Bisliop  Turner- Difliculty  in  finding  a  suc- 
cessor—Mr. Wil.xon  offers  to  go— His  motives  scruilnii.-d— 
Consecration— I'reparations  for  leaving  England  — Set*  sail  for 
Calcutta IW 

CHAPTER  YII. 

Making  good  use  of  a  sea  voyage— Daily  routine  on  ship-board 
—Interesting  letter  to  the  Dean  of  Salisbury— The  dark  »nd 
bright  sides  of  the  picture— Desire  to  glorify  God-Aii  unex- 
pected visitor- Ten  <lays  well  spent  — Affecting  farewell  -  More 
diligent  than  before  — Sickness  breaks  out— First  sight  of  India 
— Landing  at  Calcutta ...  IIS 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Bishop's  installation— Kind  address  to  the  clergy— Jurisdic- 
tion of  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  in  1S32 — A  wise  division  of  »o 
vast  a  field  — First  i^ermon  in  the  Cathedral — General  inspec- 
tion of  schools  and  missionary  societies— The  civilities  of  life 
— Bishop's  Palace  — "Enough  for  six  months  I"- Preparing  to 
live  — Marriage  of  a  daughter — Two  years  for  acclimation — 
Impossil>ility  of  pleasing  everybody — Wisdom  justified  of  her 
children — Personal  liahils — Modes  of  gaining  inforinalion— 
Friendly  and  confideiUial  intercourse  with  the  Governor-tJen- 
eral — Attending  to  business  on  horseback — "  Lord  Willi;ini  is 
less  of  a  Churchinan  than  I  could  desire" 120 


COXTENT8. 
«  HAnKU    IX 


r4«B 


i^^w  —  i»«|'n»iii     a.iiiiiiiimrr.I  —  ■•  If.NKl, 

•^  ■ 199 


CHAl'lKK   X. 


l" 


•n*  •  hlBilranrr  !••  ihe  0<wp«l 


ebtorr/ art  lo  Wurk j^ 


CHAITEK   XI. 

Tfc«  w«nl  trf  MlUMo  plarra  for  fiuMlr  w..r«hlp-A  fruiblo  plan 

fcf  rrtn..lT  r.,. -t,.    r.  1      l!,   .t.i  f.  ,:  _.   r.  .,.  ?.      v   i.  „    . , ,  .,'ur.. 

'  .Dll. 

V  •■'«  : 

ami 

.  ■  ,      r^ -...._     I'rc*. 

bji.  riau  tj/u^ ...J  r ^^ 


M 


(HAI'IKH    XII. 

•    HUhoji-i   vlilutioo— 

h<'a<l*— It'iprrul    |iri>»- 

I  r...    ..      1  .      r       Tutant 

'  fr.ini 

llii- 

.■.~iiii{  tlif 

'  >t<'riiiiieiit 

.U'i    Ixlovrtl 

I J—-      .  ..^  .^,.,  ,,.>,■,.   ,,fi,.«t — ck-crct 

'-*"'**'-••• IflO 


Xii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII.  ^^,, 

-Happy  six  months-Safe  arrival  at  Cakuua •"> 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

At  home  but  not  idle-Chanees  in  the  Governtnent  an.l  depart- 
ure  of'friln.l8-An  affecting  duly-Lor.l  William  relum. 
home-Perplexins  question.  settU-l-Tlie  Ulsh-.p  reM.nu.,  hi. 
v"sTtation-EntraiU'e  gale  to  the  i^yrian  churehes-nn.-  ic- 
I^unt  ol  then'i-Servkfl-s  at  Quilon-Sets  „ul  f..r  the  ."l.r  or- 
Preaches  at  Allepie-Atlciiipis  to  beiu-flt  the  Syrian  C  hriM..n. 
-The  College  at  Cttayani-Bisliop  WiUon  waited  up,.n  by 
the  Syrian  elergy-Uis  :-.,nferenee»  with  then.-"  Nev.-r  .R.in 
shall  I  behold  such  a  sight" 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Hurrying  onward  to  Cochin— Intercourse  with  white  ind  black 
Jews— V  word  ..f  .  xhortation,  which  was  not  very  favdrabljr 
received  — Conflrmalion  at  Cochin— Visit  to  several  >vnan 
churches  —  (Jeiieral  impressions  concerning  their  npiriiuiil 
state— Old  Goa— St.  Francis  Xavicr— The  City  of  (.  hurche*- 
Military  ^tation  at  Beltfaum— Sixteen  days  spent  in  Bomba)  — 
Preparations  for  a  long  land  journey IW 

CHAITER  XVI. 

Poonah  and  Kirkee— New  Year's  blessing— Ready  for  marchlnn 
—Horse  and  foot— The  Sepoy  guard— Order  of  prooe.xllng*— 
Temperance  lecture— Enters  the  territories  of  the  Nizam— A 
nice  church,  but  one  seldom  used— 1  he  effects  ut  plain  preach- 
ing under  certain  clrcuinstanees-Lay  re;idiiig  rec.miniended 
—  The  Bishop  of  Madras  sends  a  warning,  which  is  uiiheedi-d 
—Braving  dangers  •  Standing  up  for  the  order  of  the  Churclu.  211 


CHAPTER  XV U. 

Jyepoor— Journey  to  Delhi— Mosques  and  palaces— Holy  Week 
at  Meerut — Four  thousand  Christians— A  well-spent  week- 
Confirmation— Visiting  the  sick  —  Sudden  ilhu-ss  — Himalaya 
Mountains  —  Mussooree  —  Building  a  church — Deo  grutlas — 
Perilous  journey — Arrival  at  Simlah— Four  months'  compara- 
tive rest — Preparing  a  volume  of  sermons  for  the  press t2i 


CONTENTS.  Xni 

CHAITEU   XVIII 

PAaa 
Af«iB  on  thr  march     TraiitKluii  (Vom  Mi»t  lo  hot— Tak(.«  t>oaU 
Bl    !t'"'j>tir— V"  »!("■    •-■->••— Th.-   wn''-h-»n>ine   of  I.itliiire — 

•  '  •  ■"    .hiiilri  convrrl  — 
1;  rrlxiil  at  l>.lhl— 

•  f    "■■      Ininot' 


»r», 

-  »«t- 

-I'  IfeT  III    1.1V     Aboll- 

•  -p  Currif  -  raasa(r«<  U> 

«» 


CHAITKK  XLX. 

Hont"  vrk    ..i,.-^    it...r..      y.,,..r,\    ..  r f.,    II. .1 .■  —1,.  _x 

!•  >     of 

>•'■  \n 

*■■  llio 

!••  -.1" 

•if 

lll!l     SIX- 


ll. 


Ij-SrM  )  e*r jjO 

CHAITKK  XX. 

Amither  rhanrv  lo  ihr  clergy—"  Tlie  Traru  fur  Hip  TliUfa"— SoU 

•""■'■•"■•■"  ^  •"•"■■'»'"'■-•■     '      '■•   '■■"■•'  •"■  r  lo  prayor 

Malkin  — 
b  ■I..,-  Ju.lg. 

»"■  ..;    rouiKl'— 

^  ■  of  a  new  ('liu|ilulu — 

'•  '  ili<-»-  1  ..urw  i>l  lAfUt 

l'>----'-     . "    K  -  »Jr«l-"My  L4.r.l,  U  U 

all  }uura'°— Laying  llic  corovr-Moiio— 1  tif  gTvU  work  Im.-|;uu..  861 


ciiArn-:K  xxj. 

A  Mare<lonlan  cry  — Won<liTful  awakvuing  amonK  the  nalivv* — 
I'udiiif;  the  sirklf  into  lli<-  liurtcst  The  l;irli<i|i  >;••(■»  liiiiiMlf 
tu  tbare  In  tin-  g\'irunin  wi.rk— .■<«-veiil)-l»»o  iiulnu  villu|{f«  iu 
one  iDltsloiiary  circuit— Tin-  bapiiniii'at  AiiuikIu  Hum— ■•  Wo 
renounn-  lln-iii  all''  1  In-  Uislii>|i  K'k-b  on  liig  way  n-Joicirig— 
A  city  set  on  a  hill— «Julfl  ri-Luke,  which  acc..m|)li»h»«l  it« 
liurpoM-— l.uioi  march  ln-(tun— Iwo  churches  coniK-cruled  at 
Cawnpore — The  same  duly  pcrrormtMl  lu  other  places—"  Fainl, 
jrel  pursulog''— A  loDg  Jouruey  safely  ended 278 


Xiv  CONTENTS. 

•     CHAPTER  XXn.  ^^^^ 

A  few  troubles  to  disturb  the  smooth  current  of  evenu- Oxford 
theology  again-The  Plymouth  Brethrt-n  maWo  a  cn'Tt- 
Efforts  to  bTin-  back  the  wan.lering  sheep  \\  :.t.-h.nK  the  c- 
thedral— All  Calcutta  mail  after  the  wor(J-A  sln.n  »i»  'atlon 
—Sunday  at  Sylhet— EUlinj?  iu  Iwais  and  on  elephants  - 1  hlrra 
Poongee-Supreniaey  of  the  Holy  ^erlplure8  dt-fcn. led  Unl 
metropolitan  visilation-Doings  at  Ma.lra»-Ca>t.-  d.ffl.-uiii.ii 
— Movin"  onward— lihenia's  tomb— Syrian  churches- Ui»ap- 
pointed  hopes-  At  Bombay-Thanksgiving  »erinon  on  reach- 
ing  home 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

On  board  ship— "Works  of  faith  and  love— Serious  llln«>«»-Coo- 
secration  of  church  at  Almorah— Preparing  a  lM>i.k  for  hU 
diocese— Farewell  to  Simlah- Another  si-vcre  ultark  The 
Bishop  returns  to  Calcutta— Dejiarture  f«.r  Kngland- num- 
mary of  thirteen  years'  labor- One-  more  at  Uiingloii-  \\  h«l 
was  aceomplishe'l  during  his  visit  — A  last  farewell  — Arrival  at 

■  Calcutta—"  I  must  go  s<il1ly"— Consecration  of  the  cathedral 
— "Dying  charge"— A  new  visitati-m  begun »8 


CHAITER  XXIV. 

Keception  at  Bombay- Colombo-Overwork  at  Madras— IllneM 
— Ordered  to  sea— New  palace— Visitalimi  n-uined— Thirty- 
six  days  fully  occupied— Consecration  of  a  church  in  Borneo- 
Sickness  of  Professor  Street— The  differene-s  l>rlwci-n  b<xm1 
meu  fading  awa\ — Growing  old — .\iii>th»r  r.iilhful  clinrtie- 
Picture  drawn  by  the  Bishop  of  Victoria  Arrival  <>f  n  grand- 
son—inauguration of  the  Kast  India  Kailwaj— lonsecralion 
Of  the  Bishop  of  Labuan 80> 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Last  charge  to  the  clergy — Seventh  visitation— Brave  old  man — 
Failing  strength- His  resolution  to  die  at  his  post- The  In- 
dian mutiny — Trying  the  effect  of  sea  air- Last  Ordination- 
Confined  to  the  bed — "  I  am  talking  in  my  sleep"'  — All  in  peace 
— Funeral  solemnities — Brief  epitome  of  his  labors— Character 
— His  benefactions- Peculiarities 319 


LIFK    OF 

BIS  H  ()  r    W   I  I.SOX 


(fl|np(fr  first. 

BIBTIl  A.M»  yxnaST  XOK—l'UOVtH  TKKATMKXT  FOK  A 
PCXT  INFAXT— AT  SCHOOL,  WnKX  SEVKX  YKAIW  OLD— 
PLACED  IXDKR  MK.  IIACKXKT'b  CARK  — '•  XOT  W  0I£ TU 
FLO<;i.IXii"— lOLEXEM,  tl  IIEI>— KXtJAOEH  IX  HIMXES8 
— W'Mi;  EAI!I.Y  KEMIMtKEXCES— LETTEH  TO  A  SCHOOL 
Ct.MI'AXI<.X  — KOITIXE  OK  KAULY  EMI'LOYSIEXT  —  A 
THl  E  ItlirrKAIT,  WITH  ALL  1T»  LIGHTS  AXD  SHADES— 
THE    HEAKT    IXDEIt    THE    DE«ilUniXO    IXKLIEXC  EH    oK 

BIX— "I'lCAY     FOK     THE     FKELIXOS" OOD'b    OUAC10U8 

DEALIXUS. 

HE  general  interest  felt  in  liisliop 
IIel)er  ]<y  all  Christian  })eo|)le,  has 
brought  India  close  to  the  liearts 
^^Ip  of  thousands.  Tliose  who  followed 
him  in  his  high  office  might  feel 
a.-sured  that  there  would  be  many 
to  watch  their  labors  and  to  rejoice  in  their 
success.     But  aside  from  any  such  adventi- 


16  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

tioiis  circumstances,  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir was  quite  too  remarkable  a  man  to  make 
it  necessary  that  his  importance  should  be 
increased  by  borrowing  from  the  reputation 
of  others.  Our  readei-s  cannot  fail  to  be 
interested  in  tracing  his  eventful  career. 

Daniel  Wilson,  the  eldest  son  of  Stephen 
and  Ann  Collett  (West)  Wilson,  was  born  m 
Church  Street,  Spitaltields,  London,  July  2d, 
1778.  His  father  was  a  silk  manufacturer— 
a  worthy  and  excellent  man,  and  a  devout 
Christian.  Mrs.  Wilson  had  early  in  life 
chosen  "  the  good  part,"  and  \vas  an  exem- 
plary wife  and  an  afi'ectionate  mother. 

Daniel,  being  a  feeble  infant,  wjis  sent  to 
the  country  to  be  nursed,  and  to  enjoy  tlie 
benefits  of  purer  air.  By  proper  attention, 
he  grew  up  to  be  a  healthy,  vigorous  boy, 
and  no  one  who  observed  his  firm  step, 
buoyant  spirits,  and  intellectual  countenance, 
would  have  supposed  him  to  be  the  same  per- 
son whose  early  days  had  been  so  unpromising. 
At  the  age  of  seven,  he  was  sent  to  a  pre- 
paratory school  at  Eltham,  in  Kent.     lu  his 


LIFE  OF  nisniir  wii.sox.  17 

tenth  year  he  was  phiceil  uiuler  the  eare  of 
the  Kev.  John  Eyre,  in  lluekuey.  This  re- 
spected elcr;.'yniau  eked  out  the  inadequate 
salary  drrivid  InuM  t\\v  re^^'uhir  (hities  of  his 
otHce  by  teaehin^  a  t-uiall  seliool.  lie  soon 
learned  to  appreeiute  the  character  of  Daniel 
Wilson,  anil  haid  :  "There  is  no  milk-and- 
water  in  the  1m»v  ;  he  will  be  soniethiii'^. 
either  very  bad  or  very  p)od." 

One  day,  in  a  tit  of  idleiios  and  perversitv, 
the  lad  not  only  refused  to  do  his  accustomed 
work,  but  nei^leeted  an  additional  ta>k  which 
had  been  set  him  as  a  punihhnient.  Mr. 
Eyre,  passing  through  the  room,  saw  he  was 
wasting  his  time,  and  remarked,  with  some 
sharpness:  "Daiiit-l,  vou  are  not  \V(trth  ll«><r- 
ging,  or  1  V  ould  tiog  you."  This  stirred  the 
boy's  pride  at  once,  and  he  was  never  accused 
of  idlene^s  afterwards.  Indeed,  he  i)ecame 
6o  persevering  and  pain^-taking,  that  on  one 
occasion,  tinding  himself  unable  to  master 
his  appointed  lesson,  he  declined  going  to 
breakfast,    saying,    "No;    if  my    head    will 

not  work,  my  body  shall  not  eat." 
9* 


18  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

Mr.  Eyre  soon  became  proud  of  his  pupil, 
and  always  spoke  of  him  as  posscjisiiij:  an 
intellect  of  the  higliest  order.  Daniel  Wil- 
son loved  his  teacher,  and  in  after  yeare  ho 
used  to  ask  his  advice  in  cases  of  doubt  and 
difficulty.  He  remained  at  school  until  his 
fourteenth  year,  when  he  was  taken  into  the 
warehouse  of  Mr.  William  WiUon,  a  near 
relative  by  blood,  and  his  maternal  uncle  by 
marriage. 

Daniel  now  found  himself  in  a  new  world. 
His  uncle  was  an  extensive  silk  manufacturer 
and  merchant — a  strict  and  jubt  man — ex- 
pecting in  others  the  industry  and  persever- 
ance which  he  practised  liimself,  and  holding 
out  the  prospect  of  preferment  to  such  as 
deserved  it.  Daniel  thus  speaks  of  thid 
period  of  his  life :  "  My  parents,  for  the  tirst 
years  of  their  marriage,  were  a  kind  of  loose 
Church  people,  from  the  M-ant  of  piety  in 
their  pai'ish  ministers,  attending  regularly  at 
Mr.  Romaine's,  of  Blackfriars  Church,  in  the 
morning  of  the  Sunday,  and  at  the  Taber- 
nacle,  I  suppose,   in    the   evening.     AVhen 


LIFE   OF    BISHOI*    Wn.BON.  19 

their  young  family  made  the  distance  from 
Blackfriare  inconvenient,  they  attended  at  a 
dissentiii«^  meetinf;  Ikuisi'  in  tluir  neiglihor- 
hood  in  the  morning,  and  at  Spitaltields 
Church  in  tlie  evening.  My  schoohnaster, 
however,  being  a  clergyman — though  not 
strictly  regular — I  wtu^  accustomid  t<»  the 
Church  service  duritig  the  four  years  of  my 
resitlence  with  him. 

"  When  I  Wfut  to  live  with  my  unelc,  be- 
fore I  was  fourteen,  an  entire  change  took 
place  in  these  respects ;  for  he  was  a  strict 
and  conscientious  Churchman,  attending  tirst 
Mr.  Romaino,  and  al'tcr  his  death,  Mr.  Crow- 
thcr,  of  Clirist  Church,  Newgate  Street,  Mr. 
Cecil,  Mr.  Scott,  and  Mr.  I>u6il  Woodd.  My 
])rejudicc's,  therefore  (for  I  had  no  religion), 
were  then  in  favor  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  though  the  j>redilection  was  slight  before 
I  went  to  college,  it  became,  from  the  mo- 
ment I  entered  the  University,  so  deeply  con- 
6cientiou.-j,  that  I  have  never  done  any  one 
act  inconsistent  with  the  bonds  of  that  com- 
munion from  that  period." 


20  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

The  records  of  his  first  three  years  of 
service  are  somewhat  scanty.  His  daily 
duties  are  described  in  the  foHowin-  U'ttcr  to 
a  school  companion  (named  Vardyi,  witJi 
whom,  for  a  short  time,  he  carried  ou  an 
active  correspondence. 

••  February  16,  1797. 

"My  individual  employment  is  not  labori- 
ous, but  it  is  constant.     Our  usual  h..urB  of 
work  are  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  till 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  in  the  summer ; 
and  from  seven  o'clock  in  tlie  morning  till 
eight  in  the  evening,  in  winter,  so  that  you 
see  I  have  but  little  time  to  myself.     After 
eight  o'clock,  in  general,  I  am  at  liberty  to 
read  or  write  alone,  till  supper-time,  which 
is  at  half-past  eight  o'clock  or  :i  (juarter  of 
nine;  and  after  this  I  sit   reading  with  the 
family  till  ten  o'clock,  wlu-n  my  uncle  calls 
them  to  prayers,  and  all  go  to  bed.     lint  as 
my  leisure  moments  were  by  these   regula- 
tions exceedingly  circumscribed,  I  have  al- 
ways been  accustomed  to  spend  a  couple  of 
hours  in  my  room  before  I  retired  to  rest. 


i.Ut     "t     lil-llul'    WIL80N.  21 

Tlien  1  used  coMhlantly  to  ttiuly  mv  Latin 
and  Flench,  bo  that  I  am  making  considur- 
ahle  progrcivj  in  bo". Ii." 

As  it  is  onr  itur|M.-i>  to  give  a  true  jiortrait 
of  Daniel  Wilsou,  iinbimiscd  l.y  j.rejudit-o, 
wo  niubt  allow  him  lo  mention  some  ihin'^a 
in  regard  to  his  early  religious  character,  not 
much  to  his  credit.  We  can  not,  however, 
fail  to  admire  the  straight  forward  honesty 
which  led  him  to  acknowledge  liis  faults. 

"  As  far  back  im  I  ean  remember  [he  says] 
my  whole  heart  was  given  to  sin.  Kven 
when  a  boy  at  tchool,  when  j.articular  cir- 
cumstances recur  to  my  min<l,  I  am  shocked 
at  the  dreadful  depravity  of  my  nature  a.s  it 
then  discovered  itiielf.  I  have  indeed  pro- 
ceeded in  a  regular  progression  iVoni  tlie  less 
sins  of  bad  books,  bad  words,  and  bad  <le- 
sires,  to  the  grosser  atrocities  of  those  em- 
I'hatically  known  as  'the  lu.sts  of  the  flesh.' 
I  was  constantly  acting  against  a  better 
knowledge.  I  had  received  a  religious  edu- 
cation, and  had  been  accustomed  to  a  re"-ular 
attendance   on    public    ordinances.     I    could 


22  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

criticise  a  sermon,  and  talk  aud  dispute 
about  particular  notions;  hut  I  loved  my 
sins,  and  could  not  bear  to  part  with  them. 
I  never  had  gone  so  far  as  to  deny  any  one 
of  the  doctrines  of  the  Gospel.  I  acknowl- 
edged them  to  be  true,  but  for  want  of  that 
necessary  attendant,  self-application,  I  could 
hear  whole  sermons,  but  not  a  word  belonged 
to  me !  I  took  a  false  idea  of  the  Gospel, 
and,  from  this  distorted  view,  dogmatically 
pronounced  it  out  of  my  power  to  do 
anything ;  and  so,  hushing  my  conscience 
with  '  having  done  all  I  could,'  I  remained 
very  quietly  the  williug  slave  of  sin  and 
Satan." 

The  atmosphere  of  the  warehouse  in  which 
Daniel  Wilson  passed  his  time  was  by  no 
means  favorable  for  growth  in  gi-ace,  or  even 
for  much  serious  thought.  All  was  bustle 
and  confusion  daring  the  day,  and  at  ni^ht, 
when  the  restraint  of  the  master's  presence 
was  withdrawn,  the  young  men  indulged  in 
much  vain  discourse,  and  I  am  sorry  to  add 
that  our  holy  religion  was  spoken  of  .witli 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    ^VIL80^^  23 

little  reverence  or  respect.  The  spirit  of  the 
age  was  skeptical,  and  it  is  hardly  to  be  won- 
dered at  that  a  youth  full  of  self-will,  and 
fond  of  self-indu]«reriee,  should  yield  to  sur- 
rounding temptations,  and  be  found  at  last 
sitting  with  composure  in  the  seat  of  the 
Bcorner. 

But  the  Holy  Spirft  did  not  cease  to 
strive  with  him,  and  he  thus  describes  some 
of  God's  gracious  dealings  with  him  :  "  One 
evening  (^March  'Jth,  1700),  I  was,  as  usual, 
ensrased  in  wicko»l  discourfec  with  the  other 
servants  in  the  warciiou.<e,  and  religion  hap- 
pening (humanly  si)eakiiig,  1  mean)  to  be 
started,  I  was  engaged  very  warmly  in  deny- 
ing the  responsibility  of  mankind,  on  the 
supposition  of  absolute  election,  and  the  folly 
of  all  human  exertions  where  grace  was  held 
to  be  irresistible.  (I  can  scarcely  proceed 
for  wonder  that  God  should  have  u[)held  me 
in  life  at  the  moment  I  was  cavilling  and 
blaspheming  at  His  sovereignty  and  grace.) 
"We  have  a  young  man  in  the  warehouse 
whose  amusement  for  many  years  has  been 


24  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

entirely  in  conversing  on  tie  subject  of  reli- 
gion. He  was  saving  that  God  had  appoint- 
ed the  end — he  had  also  appointed  the  means. 
I  then  happened  to  say  that  I  had  none  of 
those  feelings  towards  God  which  he  reqtiired 
and  approved.  'Well,  then,'  said  he-,  'pray 
for  the  feelings.'  1  carried  it  otf  witli  a  j«.ke, 
but  the  words  at  the  lirst  made  some  inijircs- 
sion  on  my  mind,  and  thinking  that  I  would 
still  say  '  I  had  done  all  I  could,'  when  I  re- 
tired at  night  I  began  to  pray  for  the  feelings. 
It  was  not  long  before  the  Lord  in  some 
measure  answered  my  prayers,  a!id  I  grew 
very  uneasy  about  my  state.'' 

Young  "Wilson  immediately  sought  an  in- 
terview with  his  old  tcaclK-r,  Mr.  Eyre,  and 
the  letters  which  passed  between  tliein  showed 
how  earnest  the  penitent  mut^t  liave  been  in 
his  inquiries  after  truth,  and  how  faithful  the 
spiritual  adviser  whose  counsels  had  been 
asked.  His  parents  were  soon  made  ac- 
quainted with  his  state  of  mind,  and  in  reply 
to  a  letter  from  his  anxious  mother,  he  writes 
as  follows : 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  25 

April  7,  17%. 

"I  have  reeeiveil  your  ktter,  and  wituld 
answer  in  sinct-rity  your  solemn  tiiiLiy,  ll<'\v 
is  it  between  God  and  your  soul  i 

"What  shall  I  say  f  ll<'\v  is  it  between 
the  great  on»ni})otent  God,  the  creator  and 
preserver  t)t'  my  lite,  in  whom  I  live  and 
move  and  have  my  being,  and  the  soul  of 
me,  a  worm  of  the  earth,  who  exists  only  at 
llis  will  {  Awful  thought  I  Ihit  this  is  not 
all.  liow  is  it  between  a  ju>t  uiul  holy  God 
— a  God  of  intinite  purity — and  my  soul  full 
of  corruption  and  pride  i  I  low  tun  I  answer 
such  a  (piery  ( 

"But  when  1  add  to  these  considerations, 
that  while  this  God  ha8  been  blessing  mo 
with  the  blessings  of  His  ]»rovidence,  while 
He  has  been  continuing  me  in  life,  and  pre- 
serving me  from  every  danger,  I  have  been 
transgressing  against  Ilim  in  the  most  aggra- 
vated manner,  against  light  and  knowledge, 
and  even  now  daily  transgress  against  Him  ; 
I  say,  when  1  think  on  this  question  in  connec- 
tion with  these  ideas,  I  know  not  what  to  reply. 
3 


26  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

"This  I  know  and  feel,  that  1  have  forfeit- 
ed His  favor ;  that  in  me  does  not  my  help 
lie ;  that  the  curse  of  God  is  ui)on  me,  and 
that  it  is  because  He  is  God,  and  not  nian, 
that  it  has  not  long  ago  been  executed.  This 
also  I  am  sensible  of,  that  the  curse  may  be 
executed  this  night,  that  my  breath  is  in  my 
nostrils,  and  that  if  I  this  night  should  be 
cut  off,  I  should  sink — wlicro  {  Inti>  that 
tremendous  place  where  the  '  worm  dieth  not, 
and  the  fire  is  not  quenched.' 

"  But  I  have  cried  unto  the  Lord  for  mercy, 
and  do  endeavor  still  to  cry  unto  Him,  from, 
as  it  M-ere,  the  very  mouth  of  iiell.  And  I 
have  some  faint  hopes  that  the  Lord  will  be 
merciful  unto  me  and  bless  me.  And  this 
pursuit  I  hope  and  trust  I  shall  never  relin- 
quish till  I  am  blessed  with  an  answer  of 
peace. 

"  Oh  !  my  dear  mamma,  it  is  not  the 
pleasures  of  this  life,  nor  the  possession  vf 
its  vain  riches  or  honors  which  I  seek  after. 
No ;  but  it  is  even  the  happiness  of  my  im- 
mortal soul,  which  must  exist  for  ever  and 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSOX.  27 

ever.  Oh !  may  the  word  Eternity  never 
enter  my  ears  without  imjtressing  my  heart." 
At  the  time  ot  wliich  we  are  speakin*;:,  that 
excellent  man,  the  liev.  Juhn  Nt-wtun,  was 
rector  of  St.  Mary  Woolnoth,  and  Daniel 
Wilson,  who  had  often  attended  upon  his 
ministry,  now  derived  much  benefit  from  his 
counsels  and  i»rayers.  For  months  and 
months,  liowever,  he  cotitinued  to  have 
doubts  and  misgivings,  and  to  distrust  his 
own  purposes  of  good  ;  but  at  last  he  was 
enabled  to  throw  himself  unreservedly  upun 
the  promises  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus.  Un 
the  first  Sunday  in  October,  1797,  he  received 
the  Lord's  Supper  at  the  hands  of  Mr.  ICyre, 
drawing  near  in  faith,  and  taking  ''  that  holy 
Sacrament  to  his  comfort."  In  speaking  of 
this  important  step,  in  a  letter  to  a  young 
friend,  he  remarks:  "Never  did  I  enjoy  so 
much  the  presence  of  my  dear  Redeemer,  as 
I  have  since  that  time  ;  and  this,  not  so  much 
in  great  sensations  of  pleasure,  as  in  broken- 
ness  of  heart,  and,  I  trust,  in  sincere  desires 
to  be  devoted  to  llis  glory.      Yefiterday  and 


28  LIFE    OF    BISIlOl*    WILSON. 

to-day  have  been,  I  think,  the  happiest  (fays 
I  ever  remember.  The  Lord  sliines  so  upon 
my  soul,  that  I  can  not  but  love  ///m,  ami 
desire  no  longer  to  live  to  myself,  but  to 
Him.  And  to  you  I  confess  it  (thouglj  it 
ought,  perhaps,  to  be  a  cause  for  shame),  that 
I  have  felt  great  desires  to  go  or  do  anything 
to  spread  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  that  I  liave 
even  wished,  if  it  were  the  Lord's  will,  to  go 
as  a  missionary  to  heathen  lands." 


t 


d'bapttr  ^tcoui). 

DrFVH  I  int.-  IN  TUK  WAY  oK  ENTEHlNli  THE  MI.MSTHV 
— <X>NSlI.TATInXS  WITH  SEVKItAl.  t  lEHOYMEX — IU8 
FATUKK  ItiXBEXTS  TO  IU8  LEAVlSii  Hlt^lNKss — ENTEIW 
8T,  EUMIXUH  HALL— Mlt.  l-UATT  — UKMKMllliAM  EH  0^^ 
THE  WOKTHT  VKK-PKINCIPAL — UEsJftTAXlE  OK  TEMPT- 
ATION— (oxrinMATios — LrrrEit    to    iua    yuTHEU — 

PAlWEd     THE      II.NAL      KXAMIXATU>XA      WITH      HOXOK 

I'UlZt  E-HSAY — felXUlLAK  lUlXUnEXCE— OUIUNATUiN 
— BE103IE9  UK.  CKIIL'h  CCKATE — AllfM>AXT  LAUoJW 
—  ABOVE  THE  IXKLIESCE  OP  PETTY  JEALOIHT — AP- 
POINTED   TO    A     TITOKHHIP     AT    OXFOItli MAHKIAOE 

(K)UK  AOCorxT  OF  un.   wiij»on'8  CHILUUEN. 

LTlIorCilI  Daiiifl  Wils(.ii't>tliou«,'lits 

rl    were  now  turned  towards  the  sacred 

miiii>try,  aiul  triiiids  with  wlioiii  lie 

Vi;>  y  advised  encouraired  liiiii  t<»  prosecute 

^^     his  studies,  there  were  dithculties  in 

the  way  not  easy  to  be  overcome. 

His    father   wjis    decidedly    opposed    to    this 

plan,  having  entertained  sanguine  liopes  that 

his  son  niij^ht  become  a  successful  man  of 

business  ;   and   he  had  occasional  ai>prehen- 

sions  himself  that    his   desire   to   become    a 

8* 


3U  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   "WILSON. 

clergyman  might  be  only  another  evidence 
of  the  pride  of  heart  which  was  one  of  his 
besetting  sins. 

Mr.  Eyre  and  Mr.  Xcwton  were  consulted, 
and,  after  some  time  of  anxious  suspense,  tlie 
idea  occurred  to  him  that  the  Kev.  Rowland 
Hill  might  help  him  to  discover  the  patli  of 
duty.  The  young  man  was  kindly  received 
by  the  eccentric  clergyman  of  Surrey  Chapel, 
who  inquired  minutely  into  his  family  rela- 
tions, his  motives,  and  wishes,  and  finally 
expressed  a  hope  that  if  the  tiling  was  really 
of  tlie  Lord,  it  might  eventually  prosper. 
This  interview  with  Mr.  Hill  was  followed, 
some  months  afterwards,  by  one  with  the 
Rev.  Richard  Cecil  (one  of  the  excellent  of 
the  earth) ;  and  at  last  all  obstacles  were 
happily  removed,  and  with  a  heart  full  of 
thankfulness  he  makes  this  record  in  his  pri- 
vate journal : 

"  Oa  I  tlie  wonders  of  the  Lord's  goodness  ! 
My  dear  father  let  me  go  to  Mr.  Cecil's  and 
Mr.  Goode's,  and  they,  atter  due  examina- 
tion, gave  their  opinion  that  I  was  called  <>f 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSt>N.  Si 

God  to  tlie  ministry.  J/y  fatha-  consenUd 
to  vuj  leaving  hunlmss.  In  a  few  days  I  am 
to  go  and  enter  my>elf  at  St.  Edmnn.rs  Ilall, 
Oxford,  and  he  at  ^fr.  Pratt's  as  a  i»rivate 
I'lipil  till  I  am  ready  to  reside  in  eolleffe. 
My  dear  uncle  has  conducted  himself  with 
tlie  greatest  kindness  during  the  ^yll(.le  mat- 
ter, and  has  readily  consented  to  tlie  arran"-e- 
ment  made  by  my  father.  The  Lord  has  led 
me  by  a  way  that  I  knew  not.  To  His  o-reat 
name  be  all  the  glory  !" 

In  accordance  with  the  i)lan  thus  proposed, 
Daniel  Wilson  went  uj)  to  Oxford,  and  enter- 
ed himself  at  St.  Edmund's  Hall,  on  the  Ist 
of  May  ;  and  in  the  same  month  he  writes 
to  Iiis  mother  from  Doughty  Street,  liussell 
Square,  Avherc  the  Key.  Josiah  Pratt  then 
resided : 

"Tlie  desire  you  expressed  to  hear  from 
me  as  soon  as  I  was  comfortably  settled  liere 
has  not  been  forgotten.  I  am  encircled  wi:]i 
mercies.  In  every  point  of  view  I  find  my- 
self, as  to  outward  circumstances,  in  the  best 
possible  situation.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  are 


32  ,         LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

extremely  good-tempered  and  agreeable,  and 
very  pious.  My  fellow-students  (twoj,  though 
not  serious,  have  been  educated  in  a  Mora- 
vian coUeije,  and  are  very  civil,  moral  youths. 
I  have  a  most  beautiful  prospect  from  my 
room  over  the  fields,  unobstructed  by  any 
houses.  So  much  as  to  outward  blessings ; 
but  these  are  nothing  compared  with  spirit 
nal,  though  all  should  excite  gratitude  from 
him  who  is  unwortiiy  of  any.'' 

At  the  age  of  twenty,  Daniel  Wil?on  began 
in  good  earnest  to  prepare  liimself  for  that 
holy  calling  which  he  was  so  long  to  adorn 
by  his  life  and  convei-sation.  lie  n<~»t  only 
applied  himself  with  all  diligence  to  study, 
but  improved  every  favorable  opportunity  of 
doing  good  to  his  former  companions,  wlio 
might  have  received  injury  from  his  evil 
example  in  time  past.  The  vice-principal  of 
St.  Edmund's  llall,  at  this  i)eriod,  was  the 
Tiev,  Isaac  Crouch,  who  exercised  a  most 
beneficial  influence  over  the  young  men  in- 
trusted to  his  care.  Thirty -four  years  after- 
wards, Daniel  Wilson,  writing  to  liim  from 


LIFE    OF    ni.'SHni'    Wll  son.  «         33 

the  Indian  Ocean,  says :  "I  look  back  now 
witli  fond  delight  to  my  introduction  to  you 
on  April  3<>tli,  170S.  I  recall  your  friendly 
advice,  cautions,  and  instructions.  I  remem- 
ber the  (ircck  Testament  lectures  (of  which 
I  have  my  short-hand  notes  still),  the  delight- 
ful dinner  parties,  the  ISuMday-evenin*^  read- 
ings, the  various  scenes  where  I  used  to  see 
your  friendly  countenance,  and  where  I  used 
to  pass  such  happy  lioiu>  with  Mr.  (ireig, 
William  Marsh,  Cawood,  and  others.  Many 
and  many  a  reflection,  dropped  by  you  in 
conversation,  now  returns  to  my  mind  with 
double  force.  Accept,  then,  once  more,  my 
best  acknowledgments.  I  have  now  in  my 
cabin  your  present  of  Van-der-IIooght's 
Hebrew  Bible,  given  me  by  you  in  1801. 
It  has  been  my  comj>anion  ever  since.  Its 
binding  has  become  again  as  old  as  that 
which  you  replaced  by  so  splendid  an  exte- 
rior, tliirty-two  yeai*s  back." 

Our  young  collegian  was  thrown  amongst 
those,  at  Oxt\)rd,  who  were  extravagant  in 
their   habits,    and    who    ran    recklessly    into 


34  LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

debt;  but  he  so  carefully  husbanded  the 
hundred  guineas  a  year  which  his  fatlier 
allowed  him,  that  his  expenses  were  kept 
within  his  income,  although  a  desire  to  pos- 
sess some  new  or  valuable  book  was  a  tempt- 
ation hard  to  be  resisted. 

The  Church  very  properly  permits  persons 
to  come  to  the  Holy  Communion  before  they 
have  received  the  apostolic  rite  of  «'la\nng 
on  of  hands,"  in  case  they  are  "■  roaily  and 
desirous  to  be  confirmed."      It  was  on  tliia 
condition  that  Daniel  AVilson  lia<l  hreii  ad- 
mitted to  the  Lord's  Supper.     On  the  7th  of 
June,  1799,  he  was  confirmed  by  the  Bishop 
of  Chester,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  (Dr.  Small- 
well)  being  then  too  ill  to  discharge  the  du- 
ties of  his  office.     Months  passed  away  with 
little  worthy  of  record.     After  spending  the 
holidays  in  the  bosom  of  his  father's  family, 
we  find  him  once  more  at  the  University, 
entering  upon  his  third  and  last  year.     A 
letter   to  his   mother,  dated  January   12th, 
1801,  discloses  the  state  of  his    mind   and 
heart. 


LITE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  35 

**Thc  time  I  spent  with  you  in  town  np- 
j>ear8  to  me  now  likr  a  dream  that  is  passed 
away.  Thus  it  is  tliat  our  life  is  hastening 
along.  One  scene  j)resents  itsell",  and  tlien 
vanishes;  a  second  folh>w8,  and  disappears 
in  like  manner.  Now  we  are  well  ;  anon 
sickness  seizes  us.  At  this  nionuMit,  every- 
thing? is  prosperous  and  eonitortahle ;  the 
next,  all  is  dark  and  niis<.'ruhle. 

"  From  reflectinir  iii)<>n  these  changes,  how- 
ever, we  may  learn  two  important  lessons — 
the  one  solemn,  the  other  encouraging.  It  is 
a  solemn  consideration  that,  amidst  all  the 
fluctuations  of  life,  we  are  still  making  rajtid 
advances  towards  eternity.  Every  wave, 
whether  placid  or  turbulent,  wafts  us  nearer 
to  that  awful  shore.  Like  a  ship  which  c<ui- 
tinues  to  make  its  way,  whatever  the  passen- 
gers on  hoard  may  he  doing,  we  are  perj>etu- 
ally  hurrie<l  forward,  whatever  may  he  our 
employments. 

"  But  as  tliis  is  a  solemn  thought,  so  is  it 
encouraging  to  contrast  the  uncertainty  of 
all  things  here  below  with  the  unchangeable- 


36  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

ness  of  our  gracious  and  Almighty  Lord. 
This  is  our  safety,  that  there  is  One  wlio  hath 
said,  'Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live  also;'  and 
that  there  is  an  unfailing  fountain  of  love 
and  mercy  in  Him  to  remedy  all  the  evils 
of  time,  and  to  crown  us  with  ever^'  bless- 
ing. 

"The  more  Satan  cau  liring  us  to  look 
upon  the  waves,  the  sooner  we  shall  sink. 
It  is  when  faith  is  fastened  upon  a  orucitied 
Jesus,  that  peace  dwells  in  the  heart,  and 
holiness  adorns  the  life  atid  conversation. 
God  gives  us  this  'precious  faith,'  that,  lrx)k- 
ing  unto  the  great  Captain  of  our  salvation, 
and  receiving  every  supply  from  his  fulness, 
we  may  go  on  our  way  rejc>icing.  The  com- 
mand is, '  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always.'  May 
ihe  Lord  the  Spirit  produce  in  us  continually, 
and  enable  us  to  know  more  of  the  i)ower  of 
that  kingdom  which  is  righteousness  and 
peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Young  Wilson  had  applied  himself  so 
closely  to  study  during  his  whole  college 
course,  that  the  approach  of  the  final  exami- 


LIFE    OF    lilSUop    WILSON.  37 

nation— an  occasion  of  so  much  alarm  to  the 
dissipated  arid  idle-gave  him  no  particular 
uneasiness.  He  pju^sed  tlie  tiying  ordeal 
with  great  credit  t..  him^eli;  and  carried  off 
the  prize  for  an  Knglibh  essav  on  Common 
Sense.  It  is  an  interesting  fact,  that  when 
he  descended  the  rostrum,  amidst  the  ap- 
plause of  the  audience,  Tweginald  IIeueu 
arose  to  recite  his 'poem  of  '♦  Palestine." 

There  is  something  ali'ecting  in  the  j)icture 
of  these  two  young  a.spirunts,  thus  l.rought 
togetlur  in   the  morning  of  life,  who  were 
afterwards  called  to  hear  "the  heat  and  bur- 
den of  the  day"  in  the  same  far  distant  lield  ; 
sometliing,    also,    in    th-    scrolls    they    held, 
characteristic  of  the  men— the  one,  throwing 
over  India  the  charm  of  p.-)etry,  piety,  and  a 
loving  spirit;   the  other,  stamping  upon   it 
the   imprests   of    Scriptural    supremacy    and 
evangelical  truth  ;  something  of  adaptation, 
also,  in  the  divine  orderin'.;  of  those  conse- 
crated spots  wheie  "  they  rest  in  their  graves" 
—the  chancel    of  6't.  John's,  Trichinopoly, 
and  the  chancel  of  St.  Paul's,  Calcutta. 
4 


38  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

Daniel  Wilson  liimself  referred  in  after 
life  to  this  meeting  in  the  Oxford  Theatre : 

"  Is  it  not  a  singular  coincidence,'*  he  said, 
"that  Heber,  my  revered,  able,  and  pious 
predecessor,  delivered  his  poem  of  '  Pales- 
tine' on  the  very  day  that  I  delivered  my 
English  prose  essay  on  '  Common  Sense  ?'  I 
well  remember,  as  I  came  down  from  the 
rostrum,  seeing  Ileber,  who  sat  immediately 
behind,  testifying  his  applause  in  the  kindest 
manner,  though  I  never  made  his  acquaint- 
ance till  July  2Uth,  1812,  when  Mr.  Thornton 
introduced  him  to  me  at  St.  John's  Chapel, 
Bedford  Row,  after  hearing  me  preach  from 
Hebrews  ii.  3.* 

Mr.  Wilson  began  his  ministry  under  very 
favorable  auspices — as  curate,  or  assistant,  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Cecil,  rector  of  Cobham,  a 
pleasant  agricultural  village  in  Surrey,  and 
Bisley,  a  retired  hamlet  three  miles  distant. 
He  makes  the  following  entry  in  his  jounial, 
in  regard  to  this  most  important  step: 

"  I  am  now  numbered  amongst  the  dressers 
o  Batemau's  Lile  of  Wilsoa,  p.  51. 


.v4» 


UKE    OF    blSUOh    WILSON.  39 

of  God's  vineyard.  I  entered  into  holy  or- 
ders on  the  liUlh  ."^tjtteniber,  hy  tlie  imposi- 
tion of  hands  of  the  Bibho}>  of  AVinchester. 
Whilfet  Mr.  Cecil  is  absent,  I  sliall  have  two 
Bermons  ti»  preueli  weekly — one  at  Cobliain, 
and  one  at  l>ial«.'y.  Ail  difiieiilties  having 
been  reniovcnl  by  the  helj)  of  GihI,  1  atn  now 
liappily  di^char^in^  n»y  saered  functions. 
AVhat  I  had  j)rej)ared,  being  coniinittcd  to 
memory,  I  wu^  eiiabhd  to  delivt-r  freely. 
Isor  havf  1  to  complain  of  any  unkind  recep- 
tion ;  on  the  contrary,  I  have  to  acknowledge, 
with  gratitude  to  (iod,  that  it  Mas  far  beyond 
iny  expectations. 

"In  my  tir>t  bermi»n,  I  treated  of  the  wili- 
iugnesd  of  Christ  to  receive  sinners  coming 
uuto  him.  '  Him  tiiat  cometii  unto  me  I  will 
in  no  wise  cast  out.'  In  the  second,  I  en- 
deavored to  explain  thp  peace  which  Chri^t 
gave  to  His  disciples — 'Peace  1  leave  with 
you.'  Grant,  Almighty  God,  that  these 
tilings,  which  by  Thy  grace  have  happily 
begun,  may  by  Thy  power  be  brought  to  a 
good  result." 


40  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year,  the  young 
clergyman  was  left  with  the  whole  duty  of 
the  parish  upon  him,  which  called  forth  all 
his  energies,  and  taxed  his  strength  to  the 
utmost. 

Besides  preaching  three  times  a  week,  he 
was  most  faithful  in  visiting  his  people — 
going  into  every  mud  hut,  and  obtaining 
from  Mr.  Cecil  himself  (a  man  not  accus- 
tomed to  deal  in  empty  compliments)  the 
name  of  "  The  Apostle  AYilson." 

He  began  at  first  by  writing  his  sermons 
fully  out,  and  committing  them  to  memory; 
but  he  soon  adopted  the  plan  of  taking  up 
notes  only  into  the  pulpit. 

His  journal  furnishes  many  little  incidents 
which  serve  to  illustrate  his  character. 

'•  I  clearly  perceive  that  my  preaching  is 
very  bad,"  he  remarJcs  in  one  place.  "  Jt  is 
all  '  vi  et  armis.'  I  make  clamor  and  shout- 
ing and  noise  my  helpers — as  if  sound  with- 
out sense  ever  did  any  good.  I  must  spare 
no  pains  to  correct  these  faults,  now  I  know 
them.     I  only  giieve  most  deeply,  that  when 


LIFK    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  41 

Mr.  Cecil  in  the  kindest  manner  mentioned 
them  to  me,  I  perceived  a  secret  sensation 
of  anger,  wlien  I  ought  to  have  felt  nothing 
but  gratitude." 

Some  persons  are  so  mean-spirited  as  to 
feel  jealous  wlienevcr  anothei-  is  commended 
for  qualities  which  they  are  sensible  of  pos-) 
sessing  tliemselves  in  a  smaller  degree.  Not 
60  witli  Mr.  Wilson.  On  one  occasion,  when 
he  went  up  to  Oxtbrd  fur  a  s-hort  time,  his 
place  was  supplied  by  his  friend  Marsh. 
We  find  this  record  in  his  journal,  upon  his 
return : 

"Praises  of  all  kinds  were  showered  on 
him,  my  jK'Ople  were  so  stiuck  witli  his 
countenance,  his  address,  his  seinidns,  his 
courtesy,  that  they  lauded  him  to  tiie  skies — 
God  be  praised  I" 

Havinjr  labored  two  vears  at  Cobham, 
some  things  occurred  which  changed  his 
plans  fur  the  future.  The  following  is  his 
own  account  of  the  first  of  these  events : 

"January    23,    18U3.     I    have   wonderful 
things  to  record.     I  have  refused  the  curacy 
4* 


42  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

of  Henley,  which  has  beea  offered  to  ine, 
because,  when  I  came  here,  I  engaged  to 
stay  with  Mr.  Cecil  three  yeai-s.  This  beii  g 
settled,  lo!  another  matter,  much  more  seri- 
ous, occurs.  Ml-.  Crouch  wishes  to  know 
whether  I  should  be  willing  to  return  to 
Oxford,  and,  conjointly  with  himself,  under- 
take the  office  of  Hitor  at  St.  Edmund's  Hall. 
It  is  to  be  with  this  understanding,  that  the 
lighter  part  of  the  duty  falls  upon  me  at  tirst, 
but  that  I  should  be  prepared  eventually  to 
take  the  whole  burden.  The  question  is 
under  consideration.  The  Principal  haa  to 
be  sounded.  Mr.  Cecil  mtist  be  consulted 
and  persuaded.  Almost  everything  want^i 
arrangement.  May  God's  will  be  done  1 
This  alone  grieves  and  vexes  me,  that,  witii 
so  great  a  matter  hanging  over  me,  I  am  so 
feeble  in  mind,  so  full  of  sin,  so  backward 
in  prayer,  watchfulness,  and  submission." 

The  same  subject  is  again  referred  to  on 
the  9th  of  March,  a  day  never  forgotten  by 
him : 

"Seven  years  have  passed  since  the  grdcn 


LIKK    OK    msilul*    AVILSON.  43 

of  God  came  with  power  to  nie,  wlio  was 
buried  in  total  darkuesss.  1  ackiiowled«<e 
myself  to  he  the  vikst  of  the  vile,  and  I 
grieve  over  it.  Still  ila-  grace  of  God  is 
exceedin<;ly  abuiulant  towards  mu.  I  wish 
to  be  nothing,  and  would  cleave  to  Christ 
only, 

"The  Oxfonl  business  is  aitj»roaehing  its 
completion.  'Hie  Princij)al  has  consented. 
My  parents  acquiesce.  Mr.  Cecil,  though 
disinclined,  does  not  absolutely  refute.  1 
have  written  to  Mr.  Cr<»uch  to  say  that  1 
shall  be  ready  to  undertake  it  as  soon  as  I 
have  fultilled  mv  engagement  tt)  remain  with 
Mr.  Cecil  lor  three  years.  This  must  be 
done,  unless  Mr.  Crouch  can  find  some  one 
whom  Mr.  Cecil  would  be  willing  to  take  in 
my  place,  and  thus  set  me  free.  The  will  of 
the  Lord  be  done.'' 

Several  months  passed  away  before  Mr. 
Wilson  Could  secure  a  successor  for  his  cu- 
racy, and  it  was  not  until  November  that  he 
preached  his  farewell  fccrmon  and  took  his 
leave.      Large    congregations    assembled    to 


44  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

hear  his  parting  counsels,  and  many  tears 
were  slied. 

The  other  event  to  which  we  referred  was 
the  marriage  of  the  young  clergyman  with 
his  cousin  Ann,  the  daughter  of  liis  uncle, 
Mr.  "William  Wilson,  to  whom  he  had  heen 
tenderly  attached  for  several  years.  The 
ceremony  took  place  on  the  23d  of  Novem- 
ber, 1803. 

A  few  words  in  regard  to  family  matters, 
in  this  place,  will  not  be  amiss,  especially  as 
the  happiness  of  Mr.  Wilson  fur  many  vi-ars 
afterwards  was  greatly  increased  by  his 
union  Avith  this  lovely  and  excellent  woman. 
As  a  daughter,  she  had  her  father's  testimony 
that  she  had  never  given  him  one  hour's  un- 
easiness;  and  after  the  death  of  a  beloved 
mother,  she  had  been  a  guide  and  protector 
to  her  younger  sisters.  Although  naturally 
inclined  to  silence  and  reserve,  when  fhe  be- 
came a  clergyman's  wife  she  gave  up  her 
habits  of  retirement,  and  interesting  hei>elf 
in  her  husband's  work,  she  presided  over  his 
household  with  dignity  and  grace,  and  dis- 


LIVE   OF   Bl.inop    WILSOX.  45 

charged  lur  approj)riate  duties  in  the  fear  of 
God. 

In  November,  ISOo,  his  eldest  son,  Daniel, 
was  horn  ;  in  September,  1807,  Ids  second 
son,  Jnlin  :  in  June,  lsoi»,  his  daugliter, 
Amelia.     These  three  were  b<»rn  in  ( ).\iV)rd. 

In  N<tveinl>er,  1811,  a  second  daughter, 
Ann  Margaret,  was  born;  in  March,  1814,  a 
third  daughter,  Eliza  Emma;  and  in  Novem- 
ber, ISlfl,  a  third  s(»n,  William.  These  were 
Itorn  in  L«»ri(h»ii.  Thus  (ind  •' made  him  an 
house,"  and  for  nearly  fourteen  years  (with 
one  sad  interruj)tion,  occasioned  by  the  death 
of  his  infant  daughter,  Amelia,  in  1809)  the 
voice  of  joy  and  health  was  heard  in  it. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  always  too  much  occupied 
•with  the  duties  of  his  office  to  spend  much 
time  with  his  children,  and  while  he  was 
ready  to  j)romote  their  good  at  any  sacritice, 
he  did  not  enter  into  their  jairsuits,  and  was 
not  as  patient  with  them  as  some  are.  At 
the  same  time,  probably  no  parent  ever  suf- 
fered more  acutely  than  he  did  when  they 
were  sick  or  in  trouble. 


46  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON'. 

After  the  death  of  little  Ann.  in  1818,  he 
thus  pours  out  his  heart,  in  a  letter  to  Mrs. 
Hannah  More :  "  It  is  impossible  for  me  to 
describe  to  you  what  we  are  going  through. 
After  the  sudden  death  of  one  child— a  lovely 
girl,  about  six  years  and  a  half  old — a  second 
child  has  been  seized  with  sickness,  and  lias 
now  continued  for  above  seven  weeks  in  a 
most  affecting  and  alarming  state,  AVe  arc 
watching  our  dear  little  boy  dying  before 
our  eyes.  He  has  been  for  eiglit  days  in 
perpetual  convulsions,  except  as  opiates  com- 
pose for  a  time  his  agitated  frame.  Tlie 
afflicted  mother  hangs  over  her  suffering 
child  with  an  anguish  I  cannot  describe. 
Thus  it  pleases  our  heavenly  Father  to  exer- 
cise us  with  by  far  the  most  severe  trial  we 
have  ever  known. 

"  For  myself,  as  a  minister  of  the  sanctuarv, 
I  am  quite  assured  that  God  '  in  very  faithful- 
ness has  caused  me  to  be  troubled.'  I  want 
bringing  down.  The  natural  tendency  of 
my  mind  is  towards  excessive  activity  and 
bustle,  with  all  the  secret  love  of  display  and 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WII.SOX.  47 

thf  ])raise  of  men  wliirli  accompanies  such  a 
turn    of    character.     I    have   now   gone   on 
seventeen  years  in  the  sacred  ministry,  Miili 
a  large  share  of  liealth  and  spirits,  with  some 
success  in  the  great  W(.rk  of  '  reconciliaiinn' 
intrusted  to  me.      Some  late  circumstances, 
in  wliich  I  had,  Ik.wcvit.  very  little  }>er.-onal 
effort,  have  hrought  me  still  more  hef..re  the 
public   eye,   and    now    my    lu-aveidy    Father 
chastens  me  for  my  profit,  that    I   mav  he  a 
partaker  of  His  holiness.     He  takes  me  aside 
from  my  j.ul.lic  duties  to  private  self-exami- 
nation, and  he  calls  me  from   preaching  to 
praying— from    the   instruction   of  others  to 
the  instruction  of  myself.      He  l.ids  me  look 
inward,  and  lake  the  gnage  and  measure  of 
my  heart.     He  commands   me  to  be  silent, 
and   contrite,   and    interior    in    my   religion. 
He  is  preparing  me  for  comforting,  perhaj.s, 
the  minds  of  others  with  the  comfort  where- 
with   I    myself  am   comforted  of  (iod;    and 
whilst  he  conlines  me  to  the  chamber  of  soi- 
row,  is  perhaps   fitting  me   in   some   bettir 
manner  to  discharge  those  high  and  elevated 


48  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

duties  of  a  steward  of  the  mysteries  of  God 
which  I  Iiavc  so  little  honored  as  I  oiij^ht. 
Oh,  that  I  may  learn  softness,  confession, 
humility,  and  tenderness  in  this  school  of 
suffering !" 

The  little  boy  spoken  of  in  this  letter  re- 
covered partially  from  this  dangerous  attack, 
and  having  survived  until  five  years  old,  an 
object  of  solicitude  and  tender  sympathy,  he 
gently  passed  away. 

Mr.  Wilson's  eldest-bom,  Daniel,  was  a 
great  comfort  to  his  parents,  and  became  a 
useful  clergyman — still  being  si)ared  to  labor 
for  the  good  of  souls. 

John,  the  second  son,  was  led  awav  from 
the  path  of  duty  by  tlie  seductions  of  bad 
companions,  and  finally  retired  to  the  Conti- 
nent, where  he  died  in  August,  1833,  sin- 
cerely penitent  for  his  faults,  and  at  peace 
with  God  and  man.  His  father  was  then  in 
India,  but  his  brother  ministered  at  his 
dying  couch.  He  was  patient  under  the 
most  intense  sufferings,  and  thankful  for 
every  mercy,  receiving  the  Holy  Sacrament 


LIFE    OF    BISHUl'    WILSON. 


49 


humbly,  and  tinding  it  ii  means  of  grace  to 
Lis  soul. 

We  havo  prelerrtd  to  bring  together  these 
items   concerning   iauiily   mutters,   that    the 
regular  course  of  t!.c  narrative  may  not  be 
interrupted  by  them  hereafter. 
5 


DUTIES  AT  OXFORD — CFRATE  OF  WORTOX — ATTK.MITS  TO 
BENEFIT  THE  UNDER-GRADCATE3 — I  TPER  AND  LOWER 
WORTOX A  STRIKING  CONTRAST "HE  KXUW9  AL- 
MOST   EVERY  thing!" CALLED    TO  ANOTHER    FIELD — 

ST.  John's,  Bedford  row — reason  for  making  xnis 

CHANGE — unselfishness — A  SCATTERED  CONOKXOA- 
TION  SOON  RALLIED — THE  PREACHING  OF  "  CHRIST 
crucified" GRAPHIC  PICTIRE — INTEHESTIXO  INCI- 
DENTS  LARGE  CONFIRMATION — EVIDENCES  OF  PAS- 
TORAL FIDELITY  —  OUTSIDE  LABORS  —  SCENE  AT  A 
DINNER-TABLE  —  MRS.  FRY  —  HABITS  OF  PRATER  — 
FAILING  HEALTH — VISIT  TO  THE  CONTINENT — FRESH 
LESSONS   IN   THE   SCHOOL   OF    AFFLICTION. 

X  the  year  180-i,  Mr.  Wilson  was  re- 
siding with  his  family  in  Oxford, 
where  his  collegiate  office  occupied 
him  during  the  week,  his  SuiidnyB 
being  employed  in  officiating  as  cu- 
rate of  Worton,  When  he  began  his 
duties  at  St.  Edmund's  Hall,  he  held  a 
subordinate  position,  having  Mr.  Crouch  to 
lean  upon  for  counsel,  and  to  aid  him  in  diffi- 
culties. Three  years  afterwards,  when  his 
old  friend  retired  from  office,  his  responsibili- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  51 

ties  were  greatly  increased.  lie  thus  writes, 
in  January,  1807 : 

"  Our  friend  Mr.  Crouch  has  now  resigned 
to  me  the  whole  management  of  the  Hall ; 
and  utterly  incompetent,  I  am  left  alone.  I 
can  scarcely  tell  what  I  am  to  do,  and  what 
leave  undone.  Nevertheless,  I  must  follow 
the  leadings  of  God's  providence. 

"  The  number  of  young  men  in  the  Hall 
at  present,  and  the  measure  of  their  attain- 
ments, are  not,  perhaps,  l)eyond  my  roach; 
but  what  plans  may  be  adopted  for  the  future 
I  know  not.  You  will  easily  undcistand  how 
much  I  am  engaged,  when  I  tell  you  that 
this  next  term  I  have  to  lecture  on  Aristotle 
and  the  tragedies  of  -^schyhis;  that  the 
New  Testament  has  to  be  critically  and  co- 
piously dealt  with,  and  Aldrich's  '  Ars  logica' 
to  be  entered  on.  I  will  do  what  I  can.  If 
I  cannot  do  for  my  pupils  all  that  my  wishes 
and  the  duties  of  my  office  require,  yet 
nothing  shall  be  wanting  that  good-will, 
kindness,  and  careful  study  can  accomplish. 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  my  main  object  must 


62  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    -WILSON. 

be  80  to  instruct  them  in  the  saving  knowl- 
edge of  God,  and  so  to  imbue  their  minds 
(as  much  as  in  me  lies)  with  true  pietj,  that 
however  little  they  may  profit  by  me  in 
secular  matters,  they  may  nevertheless  learn 
to  love  God,  to  believe  in  Christ,  and  reject 
the  vain  traditions  and  fimcies  of  men,  to 
estimate  aright  the  value  of  the  soul,  and  to 
know  and  be  ready  to  proclaim  tlic  excellent 
glory  of  the  Cross.  If  they  know  and  under- 
stand these  things  savingly  and  experiment- 
ally, they  know  all. 

'-  So  far  as  all  this  goes,  my  opinions  re- 
main unchanged  and  immoveable,  though  I 
know  well  that  I  am  unable  to  follow  them 
diligently,  or  carry  them  out  successfully  by 
my  own  power  and  might." 

Besides  the  regular  lectures  and  other  in- 
structions, Mr.  Wilson  sought  to  be  useful  to 
the  under-graduates,  by  inviting  them,  in 
small  parties,  to  the  familiar  intercourse  of 
his  house  and  table.  His  good  intentions 
were,  however,  in  a  measure,  defeated  by  a 
gravity  and  coldness  of  manner  which  left  an 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  53 

unpleasant  iinpretsion,  making  even  social 
gatherings  partake  too  much  of  tlie  character 
of  meetings  for  hiisiness  and  duty.  His  pu- 
pils, however,  liuuored  and  admired  him,  and 
his  influence  wa»  very  generally  felt.  Thus 
much  for  iiis  college  duties. 

Ilis  pastoral  labors  at  Worton  are  those  in 
whicli  we  feel  most  interest.  There  are  two 
Wortons — r]>per  and  Lower — little  villages 
lying  betwei  M  IJamhury  aiul  Woodstock,  in 
Oxfordshire;  the  population  consisting  of 
farmers  and  agricultural  laborers,  and  both 
places  united  not  exceeding  two  liundred 
souls.  A  small  church  belonged  to  each 
village,  where  the  people  enjoy  the  privi- 
leges of  religious  worship. 

Some  of  Mr.  Wilson's  predecessors  in  this 
curacy  had  been  extremely  careless  in  the 
performance  of  their  duties,  and  every  thing 
had  fallen  into  sad  neglect. 

The  contrast  between  this  and  his  earnest 
and  laborious  ministry  must  have  been  very 
striking.  At  the  close  of  the  year  18U3,  he 
tlius  writes  to  his  mother : 


64  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON 

"I  am  called  a  laborer,  a  minister,  an  am- 
bassador, a  worker  with  God ;  niav  I  I'ullil 
the  solemn  duties  which  these  lilies  impljr, 
and  which  they  re(|uire  of  me!  An  idl" 
laborer,  a  careless  minister,  an  unfaithful 
steward,  a  false  ambassador,  a  6lc-c|>in{^ 
watchman,  will  bring  down  upon  him^-lf  a 
tenfold  destruction. 

"  I  wish,  my  dear  mother,  to  be  more  like 
Mary  sitting  at  the  feet  of  Je8U6,  and  learn- 
ing His  words.  I  wish  to  be  more  like 
IsAiAu,  who  cried  aloud  and  spared  not,  in 
showing  his  people  their  tnu)sgrefi6ion»,  and 
the  house  of  Israel  their  sins;  I  wish  to  l>o 
more  like  8t.  Pail,  instant  in  6ca««»n  and 
out  of  season,  reproving,  rebuking,  exhorting, 
with  all  long-suticring  and  doctrine;  above 
all,  it  is  my  prayer  to  have  in  me  the  sanic 
mind  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus,  to  bare 
Christ  formed  in  nu-,  to  walk  worthy  of  the 
Lord  unto  all  well-pleasing,  being  fruitful  in 
every  good  work,  and  abounding  in  the 
knowledge  of  God, 

"I  have  now  two  pari&heu  on  luy  hands, 


UKE    OK    UlSilOl'    WILSON.  65 

where  death  ami  sin  ami  durkne&s  have 
reigijei!  uncontrolled.  Jesus  is  here  un- 
known, grace  is  here  a  slrjinptr.  holiness  is 
neither  uiidersttHxi  nor  dfsire«l.  All  is  uudt-r 
the  iK>wcr  of  the  'strong  man  arninl.'  But  , 
tlio  Hible  teacheti  me  a  charm  which  ha*  a 
60ver«ign  efticacy  :  '  I,  if  1  In?  LiriU)  ui-,  will 
draw  all  men  unto  me.'  '  The  weajuina  of  our 
warfare  aro  not  carnal,  but  miijhty  thnnKjh 
(/W.'  '  We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen 
ve*»eU,  tiiat  the  (xcdUncy  of  the  poxttr  nuiy 
be  of  God,  and  not  K)i  uk'  Tliei»e  iiri-  my 
firet  principloi.  lliis  is  my  system.  1  .iebiro 
to  preach  '  peace  by  Jt*us  Christ,'  and  then 
pray  for  the  j^jMnt  of  .lesus  to  apply  it 
Wivingly  to  the  heart  and  conscience.  I  am 
only  aehametl  tJiat  1  do  it  so  weakly  and 
imperfectly." 

Throwing  aside  all  stiffuets  and  formality, 
the  realous  curate  endeavorml  to  adapt  busi- 
ness to  the  capacities  of  his  rubtic  congrega- 
tions, and  illubtralioi»s  for  his  discourses  were 
freely  drawn  from  the  setnl,  the  suck,  the 
common,   or   the  fanner,   husbandman,   uud 


56  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

gardener.  On  one  occasion  he  had  been 
preaching  on  the  resurrection  of  the  body, 
and  had  dwelt  upon  the  dying  of  the  grain 
of  wheat  ere  it  springs  up  to  new  life.  Two 
farmers  were  standing  by  the  porch,  after 
service,  when  one  remarked :  "  There,  you 
see,  he  knows  a'most  every  thing.  lie  told 
us  truly  how  the  seed  dies  afore  it  grows. 
He  is  not  like  our  parson,  who  scarcely 
knows  the  difference  between  a  cow  and  the 
moon." 

"I  remember,"  said  a  laboring  man,  who 
had  been  referred  to  for  recollections  of  these 
days,  '*  when  one  time  he  was  speaking  of 
victory  over  sins  of  the  heart,  and  he  im- 
pressed his  thoughts  upon  us  by  saying,  in 
his  earnest  way,  '  oSTow,  if  you  want  to  sub- 
due sin  in  your  hearts,  you  must  encourage 
all  that  is  holy  there.  He  who  will  keep 
tares  out  of  the  sack,  must  fill  it  up  with 
wheat.'  " 

Doddington  is  a  large  village  in  the  imme- 
diate neighborhood,  and  the  people  were 
busy  enclosing  the  common.     '"  Mark,"   he 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  67 

said,  "  the  way  to  heaven  is  not  like  an  open 
common,  with  very  many  ways  running 
through  it,  but  a  road  fenced  on  both  sides 
by  the  word  of  God." 

Occasionally,  there  was  a  rapidity  of  utter- 
ance in  the  pulpit,  and  an  impetuosity  of 
manner;  but  tliis  was  not  habitual  or  con- 
stant. His  delivery  was  quiot  and  deliberate, 
and  so  distinct  that  the  whole  sermon  was 
often  taken  down,  in  common  writing,  from 
his  lips.  He  was  very  close  in  his  appeals  to 
conscience,  and  so  solemn  and  impressive  in 
his  warnings  and  exhortations,  as  to  })roduce 
a  trembling  awe.  "  l^ray,  do  not  let  Mr. 
Wilson  preach  here  again,"  said  a  lady  to 
her  minister,  in  an  adjoining  parish,  "he 
alarms  me  so!"  And  this  was  doubtless 
sometimes  true,  for  he  was  in  earnest,  and 
could  almost  say,  with  the  Apostle,  "Whether 
we  be  beside  ourselves,  it  is  to  God ;  and 
whether  we  be  sober,  it  is  for  your  cause; 
for  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us." 

The  effect  of  all  this  was  not  sudden,  but 
progressive,  and  it  may  encourage  some  who 


58  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

think  that  they  are  laboring  in  vain,  and 
spending  their  strength  for  nought,  to  listen 
to  his  own  account.  In  July,  1804,  he  writes 
to  his  friend  Mr.  Pearson :  "  My  Worton 
flock  improves  very  little,  if  you  speak  of 
true  religion.  I  cannot,  however,  say  that 
my  ministry  has  been  altogether  unsuccess- 
ful." In  May,  1806,  he  writes  again  :  '•  We 
are  going  on  well  in  our  churches.  The  con- 
gregations are  numerous  and  attentive ;  and 
on  Sunday  last  we  had  lifty-eight  communi- 
cants. I  hope  the  Lord  is  doing  something 
for  us,  and  that  several  are  seeking  a  better 
country,  even  a  heavenly." 

Again,  in  January,  1807 :  '•  A  certain 
measure  of  success  attends  me  at  Worton. 
The  congregations  are  numerous  for  tlie 
place.  They  hear  and  receive  gladly  the 
divine  Word,  but  very  few  attain  to  salva- 
tion. Pour  upon  us,  O  Holy  Spirit  I  tliy 
heavenly  grace,  that  tiie  dead  may  hear  Thy 
voice  and  live." 

During  the  long  vacation  of  the  same  year, 
he  says:  "Alfairs  prosper  now  at  Worton. 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  59 

We  have  a  AVednesday  service  as  well  as  on 
Sundays.  The  church  is  crowded.  It  is  de- 
lightful to  see  such  a  great  cum}»any  listening 
tu  the  word  of  (lod  ;  whilst  we  may  hope  that, 
many  will  be  endued  with  divine  life,  and 
attain  to  heavenly  blessedness." 

Great  good  was  accomplished  through  all 
the  country  about  AVurton,  and  the  little 
churches  were  not  only  crowded,  but  many 
stood  in  the  churchyard  during  the  whole  of 
the  service  and  sermon,  and  large  numbers 
of  communicants  came  to  the  altar  of  the 
Lord. 

A  marble  tablet  over  the  entrance  of 
Upper  Worton  church  stands  as  a  memorial 
of  the  faithful  curate  who  there  once  dis- 
pensed the  bread  of  life. 

In  the  year  1809,  Mr.  Wilson  was  called 
to  a  more  important  field  of  labor.  lie  thus 
writes  from  Oxford  to  his  friend  Pearson : 
''  At  Christmas  last,  Mr.  Cecil  sent  for  me  to 
Clifton,  and  urged  me  to  take  St.  John's  as 
his  curate,  when  ray  assibtant  at  St.  Ed- 
mund's Hall  should  be  in  a  situation  to  act 


60  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

alone.  I  objected  strongly  on  the  ground  of 
St.  John's  not  being  suitable  to  my  cast  of 
character;  but  this  difficulty  being  removed 
by  the  assurance  h'^  gave  me  of  the  universal 
approbation  manifested  when  I  liave  taken 
duty  for  him,  I  then  agreed  that,  in  the  course 
of  two  or  tliree  years,  if  God  should  please, 
I  would  yield  to  his  wishes.  With  these  im- 
pressions I  left  Clifton,  and  scarcely  thought 
further  of  the  aifair,  till  a  letter  from  liim 
reached  me  about  a  month  back,  to  state  that 
his  health  was  very  rapidly  declining,  that 
things  were  falling  to  pieces  at  the  chapel, 
and  to  nrge  me  to  take  it  wholly,  as  minister, 
whilst  his  life  remained  to  him  and  the  power 
to  consign  it  legally. 

"  I  was  seized  with  the  utmost  consterna- 
tion, and  the  moment  the  term  closed,  hurried 
to  London  to  weigh  the  summons.  1  found 
Mr.  Cecil  too  far  gone  to  be  capable  of  giv- 
ing advice,  but  his  mind  was  fi.xed  on  me  as 
his  successor.  I  stated  to  Mi-.  Cardalo  and 
the  principal  people  of  the  chapel,  all  my 
difficulties,  arising   from   Mr.  Ilill,  my  pro- 


LIFE    OF    BI5UOF    \NaL80N. 


61 


posed  successor  at  the  Hall,  being   yet  an 
undor-graihiate,  and  incapable  of  being  left. 
Ko  obstacle  would   divert    tlieni   iVuni  their 
entreaties,  and  1  yielded   at  length,  on  the 
supposition  that  no  impediment  arose  in  the 
execution  of  our  plan.     The  Principal  of  St. 
Edmund's  Hall  consented  ^vithout  a  scruple 
to  the  succe.sMun  of  Mr.  Hill,  upon  my  j-roTu- 
ise  of  continuing  to  sui)erintend  till  he  hhon  d 
be  settled  and  had  become  a  Master  of  Arts. 
Three  bishops— Oxford,  Hereford,  and  Lon- 
don—loaded me  with  civilities  and  kindness, 
and   I   left   London  on   Saturday,    virtually 
mini:>ter  of  St.  John's.     My  plan   is  to  be 
there  in  the  vacations,  and  such  times  during 
the  term  as  I  can  be  spared,  and  to  manage 
at  Oxford  till  Mr.  Hill  is  Master  of  Arts  and 
,of  an  age  for  holy  orders,  so  as  to  be  able  to 
officiate  for  me  in  the  Hall  chapel  and  at 
Worton." 

This  letter  was  written  in  March.     Some- 
what later  he  thus  reveals  his  motives  : 

'•The  employment  of  a  tutor  at  Oxford 
has  been  far  from  being  perfectly  congenial 


63  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

to  my  mind.  As  to  the  propriety  of  my 
leaving  the  University,  and  giving  myself 
wholly  to  my  ministry,  I  cannot  have  a 
doubt.  The  gradual  decay  of  vital  piety  in 
my  own  heart  is  too  obvious  and  too  alarm- 
ing a  symptom  not  to  force  itself  upon  my 
conscience.  May  God  yet  spare  me  for  his 
honor !" 

Mr.  Wilson  entered  upon  his  public  duties 
at  St.  John's  Chapel,  Bedford  Row,  on  the 
2d  of  July,  1809  (his  birth-day),  before  any 
legal  arrangement  had  been  made,  which  led 
to  a  little  unpleasant  affair  at  the  beginning, 
but  his  business  ihatters  were  speedily  ar- 
ranged to  the  satisfaction  of  all  parties.  Two 
hundred  guineas  a  year  were  to  be  paid  out 
of  the  income  of  the  chapel  to  Mr.  Cecil  and 
his  family  until  the  close  of  the  lease,  leav- 
ing three  hundred  pounds  a  year  as  Mr.  Wil- 
son's salary.  To  show  his  disinterestedness, 
it  should  be  mentioned  that  he  gave  up  a 
parish  with  £500  per  annum,  that  he  might 
devote  himself  more  entirely  to  the  work  of 
the  ministry. 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    ■V\^LSON.  63 

In  consequence  of  Mr.  Cecil's  long-contin- 
ued illness,  the  congregation   of  St.  John's 
had  become  much  scattered,   but  within   a 
month  aftor  the  arrival  of  his  successor,  the 
chai)el    was   crowded.     The    building   itself 
possessed  no  architectural  beauties  to  attract, 
and  the  service  was  conducted  in  the  plainest 
way,  without   any   chanting — a   psalm    and 
hymn  being  sung,  with  the  accompaniments 
of  the  organ.     The   manner  of  the  new  in- 
cumbent was  natural,  his  voice  j)erfect,  and 
his   action    graceful    and    aj>]»ropriate.     Mr. 
Simeon    used   to  say   that   the  concreo-ation 
were  at  his  feet.     The  preaching  of  "  Christ 
crucified"  j)roved  to  be  a  powerful   agency 
for  arousing  the  slumbering  consciences  of 
the  M-icked,  and  many  went  away  from  that 
tabernacle  humbled  and  penitent. 

The  congregation  was  gathered  from  all 
parts  of  London,  and  was  one  well  calculated 
to  draw  forth  the  powers  of  a  clergyman 
"  Amongst  the  regular  attendants  were  Johr 
Thornton  and  his  sons— names  suggestive  oi 
singular   goodness   and    beneficence.     Thcrj 


64  LIFK   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

sat  Cliarles  Grant  -with  his  family,  and  two 
sons,  distinguished  afterwards,  the  one  as 
Lord  Glenelg,  President  of  the  Board  of 
Control,  and  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Colo- 
nies; the  other  as  Sir  Robert  Grant,  Gov- 
ernor ot  Bombay.  There  also  sat  Zacliary 
Macaulay,  accompanied  by  his  son,  the  legis- 
lative counsellor  of  India  and  historian  of 
England — ennobling  literature,  and  now  en- 
nobled l)y  it.  Dr.  Mason  Good  was  there — 
a  physician  of  high  repute,  the  master  of 
seventeen  languages,  and  translator  of  the 
Psalms  and  the  Book  of  Job,  who,  once  a 
disciple  of  Belsham,  was  now  '  sitting  at  the 
feet  of  Jesus.'  !Xear  him  might  be  seen  Mr. 
Stephen  and  his  family,  Mr.  Cardale,  Mr. 
Buinbridge,  Mr.  AVigg,  Mr.  Charles  Bridges, 
and  many  others  of  high  repute  and  piety. 
Lawyers  of  note,  also,  who  afterwards  adi)rn- 
ed  the  bench,  were  pew-holders  in  St.  John's. 
The  good  Bishop  Ryder  often  attended,  and 
Lord  Calthorpe ;  Mr.  Bowdler,  the  '  facile 
princeps,'  as  he  was  termed,  of  the  rising 
barristers  of  his  day,  and  Sir  Digby  Mack- 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  65 

worth.  Mr.  "NVilbertorce  was  frequently 
present,  with  his  son  Samuel,  'to  take  care 
of  him.'  The  late  Duchess  of  Beaufort,  also, 
often  sought  to  hear  him,  with  many  mem- 
bers of  her  family.  Individuals  of  every 
'sort  and  condition'  were  thus  assembled, 
high  and  low,  rich  and  poor,  one  with  another. 
Tiiirty  or  forty  carriages  might  often  be 
counted  during  the  Lciudon  season,  standing 
in  triple  rows  about  the  doors;  and  though 
there  was,  as  is  too  often,  unhappily,  the  case 
in  proprietary  chapels,  but  scant  accommo- 
dation for  the  poor,  yet  they  loved  to  attend, 
and  every  vacant  sitting-place  was  tilled  by 
them  the  moment  the  do(»rs  opened."* 

Many  interesting  incidents  are  related, 
showing  the  good  whieii  Mr.  Wilson  accom- 
plished, while  olheiating  as  minister  of  St. 
John's.  It  is  told  of  one  now  advanced  in 
life,  and  distinguished  both  in  the  political 
and  religious  world,  that  when  he  first  came 
up  to  London,  to  study  for  the  bar,  he  casu- 
ally (as  men  speak)  entered  St.  John'^  Chapel 

°  Bateman's  Life  of  Wilson,  p.  140-1. 
G* 


66  LITE    OF   BISHOP   "WILSON. 

one  Sunday  evening.  After  standing  for  a 
long  while,  and  failing  to  get  a  seat,  he  felt 
vexed  and  chafed,  and  was  retiring.  ^  One  of 
the  settled  congregation,  however,  saw  him 
going,  followed  him  co  the  onter  door,  brought 
him  back,  and  made  room  for  him  in  his  pew. 
The  sermon  that  he  then  heard  was  instru- 
mental to  his  conversion,  and  he  walked 
thenceforth  in  the  way  that  leadeth  to  ever- 
lasting life.  The  incident  is  not  only  encour- 
aging to  ministers,  but  instructive  to  j)ew- 
holders ;  the  opening  of  a  door  may  lead  to 
the  salvation  of  a  soul. 

Another  incident  may  also  be  noted.  A 
near  relative  of  Daniel  AVilson  was  one  of  a 
large  company,  when  a  gentleman  approach- 
ed and  sought  a  personal  introduction.  "  I 
wished  to  be  introduced,"  he  said,  in  ex- 
planation, "  to  a  relative  of  one  to  whom  I 
owe  everything  for  time  and  eternity.  I  am 
only  one  of  very  many  who  do  not  know  and 
never  spoke  to  Mr.  Wilson,  but  to  whom  he 
has  been  a  father  in  Christ.  He  never  will 
know,  and  he  never  ought  to  know,  the  good 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  67 

he  has  been  the  means  of  doing ;  for  no  man 
could  bear  it." 

There  were  large  Sunday  schools  connect- 
ed with  St.  John's,  taught  by  members  of 
the  congregation,  which  claimed  the  pastor's 
notice ;  and  the  Welsh  schools,  or  the  youth 
of  the  schools  for  the  instruction  and  main- 
tenance of  children  of  the  Piincipality  at- 
tended upon  his  ministrations. 

Mr.  Wilson  bestowed  particular  pains  in 
preparing  candidates  for  Contirmation,  and  on 
one  occasion  three  hundred  and  twenty-five 
young  persons  were  presented  by  him  to  the 
Bishop,  to  receive  his  blessing  in  this  holy  rite. 

The  number  of  conmiunicants  at  St.  John's 
was  very  large,  five  hundred  being  sometimes 
present  at  once,  which  made  the  service  so 
long,  that  only  a  few  minutes  intervened  be- 
tween the  close  of  the  morning  and  the  com- 
mencement of  the  afternoon  service. 

The  collections  for  benevolent  purposes 
were  surpassed  by  those  of  no  church  in 
Loudon.  Mr.  Wilson's  appeals  were  most 
importunate,    and   few  were   able   to   resist 


68  LI^E   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

them.  Once,  wlicn  pleading  the  cau^e  of 
charity,  he  closed  by  saying,  "  Some  will,  I 
fear,  notwithstanding  what  I  have  urged, 
pass  the  plate  and  give  nothing,  thinking 
nohody  sees.  I  tell  you— I  tell  such  an  one 
— God  sees." 

Although  the  people  who  attended  St. 
John's  were  thoroughly  evangelical  in  i)rin- 
ciple,  they  were  devoted  in  their  attaciiment 
to  the  Ciiurch,  and  when  the  Hon.  an<l  Rev. 
Baptist  Noel,  one  of  Mr.  Wilson's  successors, 
left  it,  for  some  peculiar  reasons  of  liis  own, 
only  a  few  individuals  followed  him,  in  spito 
of  his  great  popularity. 

Mr.  Wilson  had  much  to  do  beyond  the 
limits  of  his  charge,  and  the  religious  and 
missionary  operations  of  the  day  found  in 
him  a  zealous  advocate  and  friend.  During 
the  summer  holidays,  having  established  his 
family  at  Worton,  or  some  other  coimtry 
phice,  he  mfide  extensive  tours  for  the  benefit 
of  the  Bible  or  Cliurch  Missionary  Society, 
calling  forth  an  interest  in  their  affairs,  and 
collecting  funds  to  aid  them,     A  few  inci- 


LIFE    OF    BISUOP    WILSON.  69 

dents  connected  witli  these  interesting  jour- 
neys may  here  be  apjiropriately  introduced. 
Once,  when  travelling  with  an  old  and  be- 
h>vo'l  tVitMul,  the  lic'V.  J.  W.  C'uiininghain, 
(»M  a  missionary  excursion,  they  dined  at  a 
house  wliere  the  provision  was  most  luxurious 
and  costly,  and  where  a  company  was  assem- 
bled quite  foreign  to  the  character  of  the 
deputation  and  their  immediate  object.  In 
due  course  the  host  arose,  and  in  a  sort  of 
uproarious  manner  calleil  upon  the  eoiii])any 
to  drink  "Health  to  the  Deputation."  The 
whole  spirit  of  the  dinner  was  ofleusive  to 
devout  mind?,  and  the  question  was  to 
change  it.  Others  sat  still,  but  Daniel  Wil- 
son rose  up,  and  said,  "  I  l)elieve  it  is  custom- 
ary, when  any  one's  health  is  drunk,  to  return 
thanks ;  and  this  I  do  most  cordiaJly  ;  and 
most  ati'ectionately  do  I  wish  you,  sir,  in  re- 
turn, and  this  company,  good  liealth.  But 
then  (he  added,  in  that  deep  tone  into  Avhich 
his  voice  naturally  fell  when  he  was  strongly 
moved)  you  will,  perhaps,  allow  me  to  tell 
you  in  what  I  conceive  '  Good  Health'  really 


70  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

to  consist."  And  then  he  proceeded  to  speak 
of  the  health  of  the  wul,  in  language  so  sol- 
emn and  aflecting  that  every  one  at  the  table 
felt  the  power  of  truth  thus  announced,  and 
the  whole  character  of  the  assembly  was  at 
once  changed  and  solemnized.  And  yet  all 
this  was  said  and  done  with  such  exquisite 
good-humor  and  kindness,  that  not  a  single 
person  was  otfended  ;  but  all  manifesed  their 
gratitude  to  him  in  expressions  of  4-espect, 
almost  amounting  to  affection. 

An  incident  of  a  somewhat  similar  charac- 
ter occurred  at  Sir  Thomas  Fowell  Buxton's 
house  in  town.  A  large  party  of  clergy  and 
laity,  attracted  by  the  May  meetings,  had 
been  invited  to  his  hospitable  board.  All 
were  of  one  mind,  and  all  desirous  of  mutual 
edilication ;  but  the  evening  was  passing 
awav,  and  the  conversation  was  still  desul- 
tory  and  broken.  Suddenly  a  loud  voice  was 
heard  from  the  top  of  the  table,  addressing 
one  seated  near  the  bottom.  It  was  Daniel 
Wilson  speaking  to  Dr.  Mai-sh.  ''  William 
Marsh,"  he  said,  "  may  I  ask  you  a  question  ? 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  71 

You  have  liad  some  experieuce  in  dcaliifg 
witli  c-riiniiials  lying  under  the  sentence  of 
execution  ;  is  theiv  any  ]>urtiun  of  the  Scrip- 
ture that  yon  liave  t'uund  more  efficacious 
than  anotiier  in  bringing  them  to  conviction 
of  sin  and  true  repentance  ?  But" — checking 
himscdf,  and  rrt'erring  to  Mrs.  Fry,  who  was 
sitting  beside  him — "perha]>s  I  ought  rather 
to  put  the  question  to  my  neighbor.  May  I, 
dear  madam,  ask  whether  any  particular 
pa?sage  of  Scripture  occurs  to  you  as  having 
proved  most  useful  to  that  class  of  our  fellow- 


sinners 


V" 


"  1  can  have  no  hetitation  in  answering 
thy  (juestion,'' replied  Mrs.  Vrv]  "one  pas- 
sage 1  have  found  far  more  etleetual  than  any 
others ;  and  the  bimple  reading  of  it  has 
proved  most  useful.  1  refer  to  the  latter  part 
of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Luke's  Gospel.  It 
has  softened  numy  hearts,  and  made  eyes 
weep  that  never  wept  before." 

•'The  seventh  chai»ter  of  St.  Luke!"  said 
Daniel  Wilson.  "The  latter  part.  Let  us 
examine  it.     IIow  glad  I  am  that  I  asked 


72  LITE    OF   BISHOP   WILBON. 

you !"  Then,  taking  a  little  Testament  from 
his  pocket,  he  began  to  read  the  passage. 
This  led  to  a  comment  on  it,  to  inquiries 
from  others,  and  to  general  conversation; 
narratives  flowed  from  Mrs.  Fry,  and  illus- 
trations of  various  kinds  from  others,  so  that 
all  were  pleased,  instructed,  and  editied. 

The  formation  of  the  Bible  Association  at 
Oxford  was  a  difficult  and  delicate  matter,  in 
which  he  showed  much  tact.     At  a  kind  of 
preliminary  meeting  of  many  of  the  authori- 
ties of  the  University,  he  was  present,  en- 
deavoring to  remove  objections  and  to  win 
assent.     The    weather   was   oppressive,    and 
Daniel  Wilson  approached  one  of  the  heads 
of  houses,  who  was  present,  not  as  an   ap- 
prover, but  a  listener,  with  cake  and  wine. 
This  gave  occasion  for  conversation,  and  a 
hope  was  expressed  that  he  would  patronize 
the  Society  and  take  part  in  the  meeting. 
An  immediate  refusal  was  given,  and  strong 
objections  urged.     The  Society,  it  was  said, 
would  increase  the  influence  of  dissent,  and 
tend  so  far  to  the  injury  of  the  Church. 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  73 

"Exactly  so,"  replied  Daniel  Wilson; 
"this  will  be  the  result  if  the  work  is  left  in 
the  hands  of  the  dissenters;  and  therefore, 
Doctor,  how  important  it  is  that  men  of 
weight  and  influence  in  the  Church  shoukh 
come  forward  and  take  the  lead." 

Other  arguments  were  added,  and  pre- 
vailed ;  and  thus,  by  his  tact  and  good  tem- 
per, he  gained  his  point,  and  the  Doctor 
became  an  oflice-bearer  in  the  {Society,  and 
made  a  speech  at  the  meeting. 

Two  or  three  more  incidents  may  be  added, 
as  illustrating  Mr.  Wilson's  habit  and  mode 
of  prayer.  A  friend  (the  Eev.  Thomas 
Harding,  now  vicar  of  Bexley)  accompanied 
him  to  Brighton  on  behalf  of  one  of  the  re- 
litrious  societies.  Two  large  meetings  had 
been  attended;  and  the  evening  having  been 
closed  by  an  address  to  a  circle  of  friends  at 
Sir  Thomas  Bloomtield's,  and  by  prayer,  they 
entered  the  coach  together  on  their  return  to 
town.  There  were  no  other  passengers.  The 
moment  they  had  fairly  started,  Daniel  Wil- 
son, drawing  up  the  window,  said :  "  Now, 
7 


74:  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

my  dear  friend,  we  must  have  our  evening 
prayers  together  ere  we  sleep."  He  then 
commended  Lis  friend,  liiniself,  and  thcHse 
they  had  just  left,  to  the  Divine  protection  ; 
and,  his  petitions  ended,  he  fell  fast  asleep. 

Once,  on  a  visit  at  a  friend's  house,  he  was 
requested  to  officiate  at  morning  prayere  with 
the  family,  but  to  be  very  thort,  becunse  of 
some  pressing  engagement.  AVhen  the  serv- 
ants were  seated,  he  said:  ''I  am  requested 
to  be  very  short  to-day  ;  I  will  therefore  give 
you  Christianity  in  a  nut-shell.  Our  heavenly 
Father  said  of  our  blessed  liedeemer,  '  Thou 
art  my  beloved  son,  in  whom  I  am  well 
pleased.'  Any  soul  that  can  say  of  that  Re- 
deemer, 'Thou  art  my  beloved  Saviour,  in 
whom  I  am  well  pleased,'  is  a  real  Chri&tian. 
Now,  let  us  pray." 

The  last  trait  of  character  to  be  mentioned 
is  related  by  Dr.  Marsh,  and  is  short  and 
simple.  He  sometimes  travelled,  on  behalf 
of  these  societies,  with  Daniel  "Wilson,  and 
on  arriving  at  their  inn,  they  were  frequently 
compelled  to  share  a  double-bedded  room. 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  <5 

On  such  occasions,  Dr.  Marsh  records  the 
fact,  that  the  hist  sight  his  eyes  met  at  night, 
and  the  first  sight  in  the  morning,  was  always 
Daniel  Wilson  on  his  knees. 

Such  incessant  and  exciting  labors  as  the 
zealous  minister  of  ISt.  Joim's  was  engaged 
in,  could  hardly  fail  to  exhaust  his  strength, 
and  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  that  in  the 
autumn  of  1>^2l*  he  was  prostrate  and  con- 
fined to  a  sick  room.  Early  the  next  year 
he  resumed  his  public  duties,  but  soon  found 
that  nature  had  not  yet  recovered  from  her 
previous  strain ;  and  acting  upon  medical 
advice,  he  made  a  visit  to  the  Continent, 
which  lasted  from  June  to  November,  and 
which  was  a  source  of  much  benefit  and  en- 
joyment. He  otiieiated  on  two  Sundays  after 
his  return,  greatly  to  the  joy  of  his  people, 
when  all  the  bad  symptoms  of  his  disease 
appeared  again,  in  even  a  worse  form  than 
before,  and  again  he  was  compelled  to  learn 
the  lessons  of  patience  and  submission,  under 
his  heavenly  Father's  chastening  hand. 


€\'^kx  lourtl). 


MR.    WILSON    APPEARS    IV    AXOTIIEK    PCLPIT — ISLINGTON 

—  THE    LAST    INCUMBENT ONE     PARTY     DELIGHTED, 

AND    THE    OTIIEK     APPKEIIENSIVE — THE    NEW     VlCAu's 

FIRST     SERMON — WAITING     TUE     LORd'S     GOOD     TIME 

WORLDLY    WISDOM — ALL   DIFFICULTIES    HARMONIZED 

"  NO  SUCH  THING  AS  GETTING  A  COMFORTAULE  GAME 
AT  cards" — SITTING  IN  THE  PULPIT — EFFORTS  FOB 
ADDITIONAL    CHURCH    ACCOMMODATION — DIFFICULTIES 

IN    THE  WAY — THE    FIRST    MEETING    OF    THE    VESTRY 

A  THIRD  SERVICE  BEGUN IMPROVING  HEALTH CIR- 
CULAR LETTER  IN  REGARD  TO  BUILDING  NEW  CHURCHES 
— THE  FINAL  ADOPTION  OF  THE  PLAN  PROPOSED AP- 
PLICATION TO  THE  CHURCH  COMMISSIONERS — "  I  AM 
LIKE  UNTO  THEM  THAT  DREAM"  —  TWO  FAITHFUL 
CURATES — FIFTEEN   SUNDAY    SCHOOLS   ESTABUSHED. 

FTER  a  silence  of  eight  months,  Mr. 

"Wilson  appeared  in  another  pnlpit, 

and  in  very  different  circumstances 

■\^,hip  from  those  which  had  hitherto  sur- 

rounded  him.     The  important  living 

of  Islington  had  become  vacant,  and 

Mr.  William  Wilson  (his  wife's  father  liaving 

purchased  the   advowson,*   as  it   is   called) 

o   "Advowson  is  the  right  of  patronage  to  a  church  or 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  77 

presented  it  to  his  son-in-law.  Although  the 
parish  ^va8  then  regarded  almost  as  a  country 
district— green  fields  dividing  it,  in  some  de- 
gree, from  the  great  metropolis — it  has  long 
since  been  swallowed  up  in  the  onward  march 
of  London,  and  all  distinctive  marks  are 
swept  awuy. 

Islington  was  a  most  important  charge, 
embracing  thirty  thousand  souls.  The  last 
incumbent,  a  fine  specimen  of  an  old-fash- 
ioned divine,  had  been  a  great  favorite  with 
a  large  portion  of  the  parishioners,  but  he 
had  done  little  to  rouse  them  from  the  spirit- 
ual lethargy  into  which  they  had  sunk. 


an  ecclesiastical  benefice  ;  and  he  who  has  the  right  of 
advowson  is  called  the  patron  of  the  church,  from  his 
obligation  to  defend  the  rights  of  the  church  from  op- 
pression and  violence.  For  when  lords  of  manors  first 
built  churches  upon  their  own  demesnes,  and  appointed 
the  tithes  of  those  manors  to  be  paid  to  the  officiating 
ministers  which  before  were  given  to  the  clergy  in  com- 
mon, the  lord  who  thus  built  a  church,  and  endowed  it 
with  glebe  or  land,  had  of  common  right  a  power  annexed 
of  nomin.iting  such  minister  as  he  pleased  (provided  he 
were  canonically  qualified)  to  officiate  in  that  church,  of 
which  he  wivs  the  founder,  endower,  maint;iincr,  or,  in 
one  word,  the  patron."— Hook's  Cuurch  Dictionary. 


78  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

Some  who  had  attended  St.  John's  Chapel, 
Bedford  Row,  were  residents  of  Islington  ; 
and  these  persons  were  delighted  at  the  idea 
of  having  their  favorite  minister  so  near 
them.  Others,  again,  expressed  no  little  ajv 
prehension  lest  Mr.  Wilson's  thoroughly 
evangelical  teaching  and  energetic  manner 
might  prove  disagreeable  to  a  congregation 
60  long  accustomed  to  a  different  system, 
while  a  few  even  went  so  far  as  to  declare 
that  tliey  would  not  attend  cliurch. 

Although  still  very  feeble  in  health,  the 
new  Vicar  of  Islington  preached  his  first  ser- 
mon in  St.  Mary's  Church,  July  2d,  1824, 
entering  that  day  on  his  forty  seventh  year. 
This  experiment  showed  him  that  his  strenorth 
was  not  sufficiently  restored  to  enable  him  to 
prosecute  the  work  which  he  so  much  desired 
to  begin — and  he  must  needs  abide  the  Lord's 
good  pleasure.  It  was  not  until  the  close  of 
November  that  his  voice  was  heard  again  in 
the  parish  church,  when  he  delivered  a  stir- 
ring Advent  sermon,  from  St.  Mark  i.  15 

"The  time  is  fulfilled  and  the  kinfrdom  of 


LIFE   OF    BISnor    'WTLSON.  79 

God  is  at  band,     Eei)ent  ye,  and  believe  tbo 
Gospeb" 

Mr.  Wilson  veil  understood  tbe  position 
wbicb  be  occupied,  and  be  resolved  to  pursue 
a   course    so  prudent   and   unexceptionable, 
tbat  wbile  be   made  no  compromise  of  tbe 
trutb,   none    niigbt    take    needless    otfenee. 
Soon,   bowever,  some   began   to  wonder   at 
wbat  tbey  tbougbt  a  sacrifice  of  principle. 
His  ii|»peals  seemed  to  be  less  fervent,  and 
bis   manner    less   earnest.     They  said,   "lie 
was  very  difterent  at  8t.  Jobn's."     Tbey  al- 
most  doubted    if  be    preacbed    tbe  (jiospel. 
But  tbis  was  "  their  foolishness."     The  ser- 
mons were  the  same.     They  were  St.  John's 
sermons,   wisely   adapted   to   Islington  ;   and 
tbe  course  pursued  was  tbe  one  most  likely 
to  produce  tbe  desired   effect — "  if  by   any 
means  I  may  save  some."     lie  was  gently 
remonstrated  M-ith  by  a  well-wisher,  and  his 
reasons  were  asked.     Tbe  answer  was  imme- 
diate, and  to  this  effect:   "I  could  preacb 
away  tbe  parish  cburcb   congregation  in   a 
fortnigbt ;  and  in  another  fortnigbt,  perhaps. 


80  LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

I  could  fill  it  with  a  congregation  twice  as 
large.  But  these  are  my  parishioners.  I  do 
not  wish  to  drive  them  away.  I  long  for 
their  souls  as  one  that  must  give  account. 
My  heart's  desire  is  to  lead  them  to  Christ. 
The  branch  in  tlie  vine  must  not  be  cut  off, 
but  made  fruitful.'' 

And  his  actions  out  of  the  pulpit,  as  well 
as  in  it,  were  in  accordance  witli  these  words. 
When  troublous  times  came  on,  and  many 
were  oftendcd,  some  friend  told  him  of  an 
angry  parishioner  who  had  declared  that 
neither  he  nor  his  family  would  ever  come 
to  the  parish  church  again.  "■  What  do  you 
say?"  was  the  vicar's  response ;  "what  name 
did' you  mention?  Wliere  does  he  live?  I 
will  call  on  liini  to-morrow  morning."  He 
called  accordingly,  and  saw  the  family,  and 
all  was  set  right  in  a  moment ;  for  few  could 
resist  him  when  he  wished  to  })lease. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  this  ac- 
tion was  entirely  disinterested.  As  vicar,  he 
was  of  course  independent  of  all  secular  mo- 
tives;   and    the   slightest   intimation   of   an. 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  81 

intention  of  giving  up  a  pew  in  church,  was 
followed  by  twenty  earnest  applications  for 
it.  The  efl'eet  of  th/  conduct  then  pursued 
was,  in  tlie  end,  wliur  he  desired.  None  left 
the  church  ;  but,  ou  the  contrary,  prejudices 
began  to  yield,  hearts  to  soften,  grace  to 
work.  Keligion  became  prominent,  and 
worldliness  drew  back  complaining,  and 
murmuring,  ""There  is  no  such  thing  as  get- 
ting a  comfortable  game  at  cards  now,  as  in 
Dr.  Strahan's  time." 

One  old  gentleman,  a  poor  Churchman 
from  his  youth,  was  so  full  of  anger  at  the 
change,  that  he  could  scarcely  speak  upon 
the  subject.  He  threatened  to  leave  the 
parish  altogether.  But  wliilst  he  lingered, 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  "laid  hold  upon  his 
hand,"  and  all  was  changed.  "  No,"  he  re- 
plied to  an  application  about  his  pew,  "  1 
shall  not  leave.  I  shall  remain.  I  find  now 
that  religion  is  heart- work." 

It  will  readily  be  supposed  that  vast 
crowds  assembled  in  the  church,  and  that 
every  standing-place  was  occupied. 


82  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

It  was  the  practice  of  the  vicar  now  to  sit 
in  the  pulpit.  He  was  at  first  compelled  to 
do  this  from  ill  health;  but  it  became  a 
habit,  and  he  continued  it  to  the  end  of  life. 
A  stool  was  construc*^^ed  which  would  take  to 
pieces,  and  which  raised  him,  sitting,  to  the 
height  of  a  person  standing.  Cross  bars 
steadied  it  and  rested  his  feet ;  and  upon 
these,  when  excited  by  his  subject,  or  desiring 
to  impress  some  weighty  truth  upon  his  au- 
ditors, he  often  rose,  greatly  increasing  his 
heiglrt,  and  suggesting  the  idea  originated 
by  John  Knox,  that  he  was  about  to  "  tiee 
out  of  the  pulpit."  The  effect,  though  not 
graceful,  was  impressive  and  earnest;  and  in 
Daniel  Wilson's  case,  something  of  dignity 
was  always  attached  even  to  his  pcculianties. 

When  the  Yicar  of  Islington  had  got  fairly 
at  work  in  his  new  parish,  he  began  seriously 
to  consider  what  arrangements  could  be 
made  for  additional  church  accommodation. 

His  efforts  in  this  direction  were  hindered 
by  a  peculiarity  in  Islington — a  large  body 
of  trustees,  elected   by  the  people,  having 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  83 

power  to  act  with  the  church-wardens  in  the 
nianagement  of  all  business  matters.  In 
consequence  of  this  arrangement,  every  ex- 
citing question  brought  together  a  large 
crowd,  and  the  vestry  meetings  were  often 
scenes  of  disgraceful  turmoil  and  confusion. 
As  the  building  of  additional  churches 
must  be  a  work  of  time,  Mr.  Wilson  wisely 
determined  to  make  the  best  possible  use  of 
St.  Mary's,  and  he  accordingly  proposed  that 
niirht  services  should  l)e  held  there,  besides 
those  of  the  morning  and  afternoon.  The 
first  vestry  meeting  which  he  presided  over 
was  called  to  consider  this  matter.  He  thus 
describes  it : 

"  IsLDJOTON,  February  18,  1825. 

"I  had,  last  night,  my  vestry  for  nearly 
four  hours  at  the  church,  on  the  evening 
service.  About  two  hundred  persons  attend- 
ed, and  long  discussions  arose — not  upon  the 
main  question,  for  all  approved  of  opening 
the  church,  but  on  the  points :  AVhether  the 
church  should  be  entirely  free,  or  the  seats 
be  let?    and    then,   whether    the   expenses 


84  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

should  be  paid  by  the  church-wardens,  or  by 
voliiDtary  subscription  ?  It  was  carried,  at 
length,  unanimously,  that  the  church  should 
be  free,  and  by  117  against  59  that  the 
church-wardens  should  pay  the  expenses. 
Nothing  could  be  more  kind  and  respectful 
than  their  whole  conduct  to  me,  personally, 
but  I  was  worn  out  with  standing,  speaking, 
talking,  and  calling  to  order  —  in  short, 
'  rulinor  the  waves  of  the  sea  and  the  tumult 
of  the  people.' " 

The  third  service  was  immediately  begun, 
and  the  crowded  congregations  were  a  most 
gratifying  testimony  to  the  expediency  of 
such  a  measure.  Mr.  Wilson's  health  was 
improving,  and  his  zeal  kept  pace  witli  his 
increasing  strength.  Having  made  the  best 
arrangement  he  could  to  supply  the  spiritual 
wants  of  his  overgrown  flock,  he  ap])lied  his 
mind  to  the  only  measure  which  could  ])0S- 
sibly  meet  the  demand — the  erection  of  new 
churches.  The  trustees  were  reluctant  to 
engage  in  this  undertaking  in  consequence 
of  their  unfortunate  experience  some  years 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  85 

before,  when  a  chapel-of-ease  had  been  built. 
Through  niisnianagement,  and  other  causes, 
a  debt  had  been  contracted,  which  still 
weighed  heavily  upon  the  tax-payers,  and 
rendered  thoin  indisposed  to  assume  addi- 
tional responsibilities. 

Mr.  Wilson,  however,  prepared  a  circular 
letter  to  his  parishioners  in  the  spring  of  1S25, 
the  main  points  of  which  were  the  following  : 

The  parish  contained  thirty  thousand 
people,  and  was  rapidly  increasing.  Land 
was  already  let  for  buildings  which,  when 
completed,  would  raise  the  population  to 
fifty  thousand  souls.  The  church  and  chapel- 
of-ease  together  had  sittings  for  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred ;  so  that  out  of  every 
twelve  parishioners,  eleven  were  absolutely 
shut  out  of  the  house  of  God. 

The  trustees  of  the  parish  and  His  Ma- 
jesty's commissioners  alike  concurred  in  the 
opinion  that  one  church,  in  a  parish  spread- 
ing over  so  wide  a  surface,  would  be  com- 
paratively useless,  and  that  three  were 
absolutely  required.     This  would  involve  an 


86  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

expense  of  £30,000,  at  the  very  least.  But 
if  the  parishioners  would  find  the  sites,  and 
advance  £12,000,  His  Majesty's  commis- 
sioners would  take  all  further  responsibility 
upon  themselves,  ana  complete  the  whole 
work.  This  £12,000  might  be  first  raised, 
and  then  eventually  extinguished,  by  a  rate 
of  three-pence  in  the  pound,  which  would 
only  require,  from  the  great  bulk  of  the 
parishioners,  on  an  average,  a  payment  of 
three  or  four  shillings  per  annum — and  that 
not  from  each  individual,  but  from  each 
family  inhabiting  a  dwelling-house.  Under 
certain  contingencies,  even  this  might  be 
lessened,  but  it  could  not  possibly  be  ex- 
ceeded. And  thus,  at  so  small  a  sacrifice, 
and  no  subsequent  risk,  the  whole  parish 
might  be  provided  with  church  accommoda- 
tion for  years  to  come. 

The  letter  ended  as  follows  : 

"  Let  me  entreat  the  prayers  of  my  pa- 
rishioners to  Almighty  God,  the  author  of  all 
good,  that  such  a  soundness  of  judgment, 
and  such  a  temper  of  peace  and  charity  may 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  87 

prevail  throughout  the  consideration  of  this 
great  question,  tliat  it  may  be  crowned,  if  it 
should  seem  right  and  lit,  with  the  desired 
success  ;  but  that,  at  all  events,  it  may  prove 
an  .occasion,  not  of  heat  and  contention,  but 
of  good-will  and  kindness  and  conciliation 
between  all  the  remotest  inhabitants  of  this 
vast  and  important  parish." 

This  able  appeal  produced  a  decided  eflfect, 
and  five  days  after  the  letter  had  been  issued, 
a  vestry  meeting  was  held  to  consider  so 
important  a  question.  Mr.  Wilson  by  no 
means  relied  upon  mere  human  agency  to 
accomplish  the  desire  of  his  heart,  but  he 
made  it  tlie  subject  of  unceasing  prayer. 
And  how  wonderfully  the  Almighty  over- 
ruled all  things  for  the  advancement  of  His 
own  glory  !  The  trustees  assembled,  and 
the  plan  proposed  by  the  vicar  was  unani- 
mously adopted.  Tliis  vote,  however,  must  be 
confirmed  at  another  meeting,  and  although 
difficulties  were  then  raised,  and  some  ob- 
jected, the  previous  action  was  approved  of 
by  large  majorities. 


88  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WII.?ON. 

Application  must  be  made  to  the  Church 
Commissioners,  who  a^jreed  to  build  the 
churches.  TVe  o:ive  Mr,  Wilson's  own  ac- 
count : 

"  IsLWCTOx.  May  25.  1825. 

"  Surely  praise  should  follow  prayer. 
Yesterday  our  groat  undertaking  succeeded. 
The  two  archbishops,  and  twenty  or  more 
bishops  and  noblemen,  condescended  to  our 
petition,  and  Thrte  Churches,  to  contain  five 
thousand  souls,  are  to  be  immediately  built. 
The  intense  curiosity  with  'jvhich  my  person 
was  surveyed  by  the  Episcopal  Commission- 
ers is  more  than  I  can  describe  ;  and  mv  own 
nervousness  in  answering  to  a  thousand  ques- 
tions, and  undergoing  an  hour's  examination 
before  such  a  Board,  almost  deprived  me  of 
the  presence  of  mind  necessary  for  such  a 
conjuncture.  To  God  I  ascribe  the  whole 
success.  I  am  like  unto  them  that  dream. 
A  parish  of  thirty  thousand  people,  in  eon- 
fusion  and  ill-will,  and  determined  against 
any  more  new  churches  as  long  as  they  lived 
(we    are    paying   £2.354   annually    for   our 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILgON.  89 

chapel-of  ease),  brought  round  to  vote  almost 
unanimously  the  sum  of  £12,000  ;  and  this 
pittance  accepted  by  the  Commissioners,  tor 
chapels  that  will  cost  them  £35,000 — and 
would  have  cost  the  bunglincr  managers  of  a 
parish  £70,000  ;  this  is  '  the  Lord's  doing, 
and  it  is  marvellous  in  our  eyes.'  Let  May 
12  and  May  24  be  marked  in  my  calendar  as 
'jubilee  days.'  " 

After  a  brief  season  of  rest,  which  was 
passed  at  Cheltenham  and  Worton,  Mr. 
Wilson  resumed  his  Libors  at  Islington, 
whence  he  thus  writes  on  the  12th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1825  : 

"  I  am  wonderful  well  for  me.  In  fact,  I 
have  been  better  the  last  seven  weeks  than  I 
have  been  for  years.  The  calls  upon  me 
since  I  came  home  have  been  incessant ;  and 
yet  I  have  been  al)le  to  preach  at  church 
every  Sunday.  The  attention  at  church  is 
intense.  1  trust  and  believe  good  is  doinsr. 
Tlie  seed  must  have  time  to  lie  in  the  ground 
before  it  springs  up.  Oh  I  may  the  heavenly 
Husbandman  make  '  the  ground'  into  which 
8* 


90  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON'. 

it  falls  'good  !'  I  begin  now  to  find  what  T 
though'.  I  was  prepared  tor — chocks  and  ob- 
stacles in  my  great  church  atfairs.  It  is 
astonishing  how  little  one  is  practically  pre- 
pared to  meet  disappointments.  Theory 
and  practice  are  not  necessarily  connected  in 
our  disordered  hearts." 

Although  nothing  has  been  said  of  Mr. 
"Wilisun's  assistants,  our  readers  would  hardly 
suppose  that  so  much  machinery  could  liave 
been  kept  in  successful  operation  by  one 
man  alone ;  but  it  niay  be  well  enough  to 
mention  that  his  eftorts  were  ably  seconded 
by  two  faithful  curatt-s — Mr.  Mar^ball  and 
^Ir.  Uambleton.  Various  agencies  were 
em})loyed  for  the  good  of  the  extensive  |iar- 
ish — and  among  others,  til'teen  Sunday -schoids 
were  established — from  which  much  precious 
fruit  was  <'athered. 


(Tbapttr  /iflli. 


A    PTOBM    BREWIXO THK     AFTKKXOOX     IJICTrRESIlII 

LOXQ  Jk.VU  I'AIXKUL  bTUrGc;LK  BKOfGIIT  TO  A  PEACB- 
ABLS  £XU — PEIUirAblVX  IXKI.UKSCE — THE  VUOtM  TAKKX 
n* — SEVERE  AFKLUTIOX — SIKH.  WIlJJOX's  SICKNESS 
AND    HEATH  —  "THE    I^AME     VKSTKItDAY,     AM)    TO-I)AT, 

AND  Ff>UEVKK!" KEnlii.N ATloN  —  I.AIUiE  CU.VFIKMATION 

—  PKEPAltATlOX  FOU  KIlOiT  lOlilM (MUX — rBOSI'EKOCS 
CONDITION  OF  THE  I'AUISH  —  fOXMEritATIXO  OF  TUB 
TUREB  NEW  CIIIKCHES — FREEIMM  FItOM  PEIIT — AP- 
POINTMENT OV  C'LBUUYMBN  —  THE  I.oRD's  WUKK  I'KUB< 
PEUINO. 

Ill's  fur  Mr,  Wilson's  (.'arnost  prayer, 
that  peace  and  truth  mi^ht  abide 
amongst  the  j»eoj>le  of  his  eliurge, 
1^'-'  had  been  graciously  answered. 
Early  in  1S:2G,  however,  this  hujipy 
state  of  things  was  unex])ectc'(lly 
disturbed.  The  ditliculty  grew  out  of  what 
was  called  the  aftenioou  lectureship ;  the 
vicar  not  being  responsible  for  this  service, 
and  about  a  hundred  pounds  a  year  being  col- 
lected by  Voluntary  subscrijitions,  to  defray 
its  expenses.     The  lecturer  at  this  time  was 


92  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSOX. 

the  Rev.  Mr.  Denliam,  and  it  was  a  report 
of  liis  intended  resi^rnation  which  tli-f  sn.'- 
gested  any  disturbing  question. 

As  tlie  one  hoKling  this  office  was  n<»t 
obliged  to  perform  any  pastoral  duties  during 
the  week,  it  was  suppose<I  that  tlierc  might 
be  several  applicants  l\»r  the  vacancy,  and 
Mr.  Marsliall,  the  senior  curate,  solicited  the 
votes  of  the  parishioners  by  means  of  a  cir- 
cular letter.  At  this  stage  of  the  proceed- 
ings, Mr.  Wilson  thought  proper  to  interl'ere, 
and  announced  his  intention,  in  cat.e  of  a 
vacancy,  to  make  arrangcin.'nts  bin:. ..It"  f*..r 
the  afternoon  service. 

A  controversy  grew  out  of  this — the  vestry 
standing  up  for  what  they  contended  to  bo 
their  rights  in  the  case,  ami  tiie  vicar  insist- 
ing upon  his  own.  At  tlie  tirst  meeting 
which  was  held  un  the  subject,  Mr.  Wilson 
iiaviiig  entered  a  j.rotest  against  any  en- 
croachment upon  his  jirivileges,  promised 
that  if  the  right  of  app(^intment  legullv 
belonged  to  the  i)arishi(>ners,  they  should  be 
permitted    to   clioose   whom    they    pleased. 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  93 

The  vestry  agreed  to  this,  but  when  the 
vacancy  really  occurred,  they  seemed  to 
have  forgotten  their  engagement,  and  tliey 
actually  met  to  elect  Mr.  Dtiilmiirs  suc- 
cessor. The  motion  to  do  tiiis  was,  however, 
voted  down,  and  at  last,  when  the  whole 
question  was  lell  to  the  arl)itration  of  Dr. 
Lushington,  it  wasdecided  in  the  vicar's  favor. 
It  is  grievous  to  think  li<)\v  much  l>itt<r- 
ness  and  ill-will  had  Ikoii  arousrd  hy  the 
whole  proceedings — and  we  are  thankful  to 
be  able  to  record  that  the  storm  now  sK»wly 
passed  away.  Mr.  Wilson  saw  that  it  was 
important,  for  his  future  peace,  that  the 
inllucnco  of  good  and  energetic  layiiKU 
Bhould  be  secured  to  modify  and  manage  so 
unwitldy  a  body  as  the  trustees,  and  he 
,6ought  to  interest  some  of  his  friends  in  this 
behalf  One  instance  will  illustrate  the 
course  he  pursued,  and  prove  his  persuasive 
intiuence  over  the  minds  of  others.  He 
desired  to  secure  the  services  of  a  gentleman 
whose  scientitic  attainments,  courteous  bear- 
ing, calmness  of  temi»eramcut,  and   general 


94  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

ability  rendered  his  aid  most  valuable. 
With  this  object  in  view,  lie  ealUnl  upon 
him  one  morning,  and  said  : 

"  I  am  anxious  to  induce  the  gentry  of  tho 
parish,  and  especially  those  who  value  true 
religion,  to  take  part  in  the  management  of 
its  concerns  habitually.  Will  you  consent  to 
be  nominated  as  a  trustee  and  come  forward 
and  help  us  ?" 

"  I  cannot  think  of  it,"  was  the  reply. 
"  I  am  a  man  of  peace — I  have  my  ]Mir8uit8, 
which  are  pleasant  to  myself,  and  I  hope,  iii 
some  respects,  profitable  to  othei^s.  I  am 
always  ready  to  take  my  part  in  educational 
matters,  and  in  religious  associations,  but 
from  parish  matters  I  shrink." 

"  But  I  wish,"  said  the  vicar,  '*  to  urge 
upon  you  the  importance  of  exerting  your 
influence  on  the  side  of  order,  and  supporting 
the  Church  and  your  vicar." 

"  And  I  should  be  glad  indeed  to  do  so. 
But  parish  business,  in  my  view,  would  in- 
volve a  loss  of  self-respect.  I  must  decline 
all  part  in  it," 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  95 

*' JJut,  my  dear  Iricnd,  do  you  not  believe 
that  one  day  you  will  have  to  render  an  ac- 
count to  God  of  all  the  means  vt'  intluenee 
placed  at  your  disposal,  and  of  all  the  talents 
coininitted  to  your  char^j^e  T' 

"Certaiidy  ;  hut  this  is  foreign  to  my  liah- 
its  and  distasteful  to  my  feelim^s." 

'"Ah!  hut  remember,  my  friend,  that  we 
are  called  upon  to  'deny  ourselves,'  to  '  take 
up  our  cross,'  to  'run  with  patience  the  race 
set  before  us.' " 

"True — very  true." 

"Are  you,  then — are  any  of  us  the  best 
judges  of  what  is  the  path  for  us  to  walk  in  i 
It  is  iK^t  always  the  ea>y  j>alh  which  is  the 
rigbt  one ;  it  is  not  always  when  we  please 
ourselves  that  we  best  please  God.  iiettcr 
follow  duty  when  it  calls,  and  you  will  secure 
God's  blessing." 

The  result  may  be  anticipated.  The  cross 
was  taken  up,  duty  efficiently  performed, 
good  service  rendered,  a  useful  examjjle  set, 
and  the  great  oiject  gained. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  overtaken,  in  the  midst 


96  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

of  his  labors,  by  the  lieaviest  trial  of  his  life 
—the  death  of  his  dear,  devoted  wife.  She 
had  been  an  invalid  and  a  sufferer  for  several 
years,  and  from  this  cause  her  friends  had 
been  less  prepared  to  expect  a  sudden  ternii- 
nation  of  lier  earthly  coui-se.  In  April, 
1827,  her  disease  grew  more  alarming,  and 
early  the  next  month  it  was  evident  to  all 
that  her  end  must  be  near.  Without  a  inui-- 
mur  or  regret,  she  turned  at  once  to  the  work 
of  self-examination,  submitting  herself  en- 
tirely to  God's  holy  care  and  keeping.  On 
the  morning  of  May  7th  her  husband  entered 
the  room,  and,  standing  by  the  bedside,  bent 
over  her  in  silent  sympathy.  She  opened 
her  eyes,  and  recognized  him  at  once.  All 
the  tenderness  of  her  early  love  seemed  to 
gush  forth.  She  lifted  up  her  wasted  hands, 
stroked  gently  and  repeatedly  each  side  of 
his  face,  and  whispered,  "Dearest  creature!" 
adding,  "  do  not  excite  me  ;  say  something 
to  cahn  me."  With  tearful  eye  and  quiver- 
ing lip,  he  named  that  name  which  is  above 
every  name — "  Jesus  Christ,  the  same  yes- 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON,  97 

terday,  aud  to-day,  and  for  ever."  It  found 
a  response  in  the  heart.  '*  Tliat  is  beautiful," 
she  said.  To  lier  sister-in-hiw,  wlio  was  soon 
after  at  lier  side,  she  said,  "  Perhaps  I  may 
not  be  alive  long."  "  And  if  not,"  was  the 
reply,  '-you  will  be  in  Paradise."  "Ah, 
yes,"  she  said,  ''  that  will  he  far  better." 

Her  thoughts  still  chiiig  to  her  children 
witli  the  tenderest  love.  Their  temporal  and 
eternal  welfare  was  very  near  her  heart ;  and 
when  all  was  silent  in  the  room,  her  voice 
was  often  heard  ascending  up  to  heaven  in 
earnest  supplications  on  their  behalf. 

"My  dearest  love,"  said  her  husband,  on 
coming  in,  "you  will  soon  be  with  Jesus." 
"  To  see  Him  r  was  her  brief  but  weighty 
answer. 

Soon  the  power  of  articulation  began  to 
fail,  and  the  notice  of  external  things  to 
lessen.  All  stood  around  the  bed — husband, 
children,  sisters,  servants,  "^he  noticed  no 
external  thing,  but  still  held  communion  with 
her  God.  "  Lord,  have  mercy  on  my  soul ! 
Succor  me  in  Jesus  Christ.  In  sickness  and 
9 


98  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

in  dying,  oh,  succor  and  save !  Lord,  let  me 
enjoy  Thy  presence  for  evermore.  I  have 
no  merits  in  myself,  but  my  reliance  is  on 
Christ.  Lord,  save  me  in  Christ  Jesus.  I 
do  love  Him.  Though  I  am  a  sinner,  save 
me  for  His  sake." 

These  were  the  last  connected  words.  A 
few  fragments  only  of  love  and  piety  could 
afterwards  be  gathered.  "  Lord,  teach  sub- 
mission"— "  no  more  sin" — "  sing  with  joy" 
— "  dear  John" — "  dear  Dan" — ''  resignation" 
— "  Saviour  .^" 

Till  the  afternoon  of  Thui'sday  death  iin- 
gered;  and  on  that  day,  May  loth,  at  one 
o'clock,  she  ceased  to  breathe,  and  her  spirit 
returned  to  that  Father  who  gave,  and  that 
Saviour  who  redeemed  it.  She  slept  in 
Jesus;  whilst  friends  knelt  round  her  bed, 
weeping,  yet  sorrowing  "  not  as  others  wlio 
have  no  hope."  She  was  interred  in  tlie 
family  vault  under  the  parish  church  of 
Islington.  The  funeral  sermon  was  preached 
by  the  Dean  of  Salisbury  ;  and  then  the  be- 
reaved husband  set  out  once   more  on  the 


LIFE   OF    BTSHOP    WILSON.  99 

journey  of  life,  a  solitary  and  widowed  man. 
He  had  lost  one  who  had  been  a  help  meet 
for  him — his  counsellor  in  difficulties,  his 
comforter  in  sorrows,  his  nurse  in  sickness. 
He  never  ceased  to  think  of  her  with  true 
affection,  nor  to  speak  of  her  with  tender 
regret. 

''  Indeed,  it  is  all  true,"  was  the  expression 
of  his  first  letter  after  the  event;  ''I  have 
lost  the  companion  of  my  youth,  the  partner 
of  my  joys  and  sorrows,  the  mother  of  my 
children,  the  guide  of  my  Christian  course. 
My  sorrows  flow  deeply,  and  must  flow,  so 
long  as  I  remain  behind.  But  I  hope  I  do 
not  murmur.  I  hope  I  desire  to  say,  'Not 
my  will,  but  Thine  be  done.'  I  hope  I  am 
grateful  for  four-and-twenty  years  of  peace, 
and  union,  and  comfort.  I  hope  I  bless  God 
for  the  delightful  testimony  to  her  Saviour 
which  she  bore  in  life  and  death." 

Although  Mr.  Wilson  was  greatly  dis- 
tressed by  this  late  aflliction,  he  regarded  it 
as  a  call  from  God,  requiring  him  to  be  more 
devoted  in  His  service. 


100  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

Almost  seven  hundred  yonng  persons  in 
his  parish  had  just  renewed  the  vows  of 
Baptism  in  Confirmation,  and  he  was  now 
most  anxious  to  ])repare  them  for  their  first 
Communion.  Besiaes  preaching  on  the  sub- 
ject, he  urged  them  to  come  to  him,  in  i>ri- 
vate,  for  additional  instruction,  and  many 
gladly  availed  themselves  of  the  privilege. 

The  year  1828  found  the  aflairs  of  the 
parish  in  a  most  encouraging  state.  In  ad- 
dition to  three  full  services  on  Sundays  and 
great  festivals,  the  church  was  opened  for 
prayers  on  every  Wednesday  and  Friday 
morning,  and  on  Saints'  days. 

The  next  important  event  to  he  noted  is 
the  consecration  of  the  three  new  ciiurches, 
which  had  been  erected  within  the  bound? 
of  the  parish. 

St.  John's  Church,  Holloway,  which  ac- 
commodates about  eighteen  hundred  persons, 
was  consecrated  by  Dr.  Howley,  then  Bishop 
of  London,  on  the  2d  of  July,  1828,  and  St. 
Paul's,  at  Ball's  Pond,  on  the  23d  of  Octo- 
ber, in  the  same  year.     This  church  is  about 


LIFK    <»F    BISHOP    WILSON.  101 

as  large  as  St.  John's.  Trinity— the  largest 
of  the  three,  having  two  thousand  and  nine 
gittiuo-s — was  consecrated  on  the  19th  of 
March,  1829. 

The  whole  business  arrangements  had  been 
so  admirably  managed  that,  so  far  from  con- 
tracting any  debt,  a  balance  of  one  hundred 
pounds  was  returned  to  the  parish.  Mr. 
Wilson  presented  to  eacli  church  on  the  day 
of  its  consecration  a  beautiful  comniuniun 
set.  His  great  anxiety  was  to  secure  efficient 
clerfymen  for  them,  and  after  due  considera- 
tion, the  Rev.  W.  Marshall,  the  Rev.  John 
Sandys,  and  the  Rev.  II.  F.  Fell  were  ap- 
pointed. The  churches  were  soon  filled,  and 
the  work  of  the  Lord  })rospered.  The  good 
vicar  continued  to  feel  the  deepest  interest 
in  them  until  his  dying  day. 


Clia})tcr  ^kll]. 

THE  PEIVATE  JOURNAL  OXCE  MORE  RESUMED— MR.  WIL- 
SON's  entrance  upon  his  FIFTY-TniRD  YEAR — HONEST 
CONFESSIONS  OF  A  CONTRITE  HEART— ISLINGTON  IN  AN 
UPROAR— CAUSE  OF  THE  DISTURBANCE — THE  PBAYKB 
OF  FAITH  RECEIVES  AN  ANSWER  OF  PEACE— A  VOICE 
FROM  INDIA— DEATH  OF  BISHOP  TIRSER— DIFFICILTT 
IN  FINDING  A  SUCCESSOR — MR.  WILSON  OFFERS  TO  GO — 
HIS  MOTIVES  SCRUTINIZED — CONSECRATION — PREPARA- 
TIONS FOE  LEAVING  ENGLAND — SETS  SAIL  FoR  CAL- 
CUTTA. 

,  E  liave  now  brought  down  oiir  nar- 
[  ^  rative  to  the  year  183(».  On  the 
ffi-MEA  12tli  of  January,  Mr.  Wilson  takes 
^^^uJ  ^^^^  ^'^^  ^^^  private  note-book  once 
more,  and  makes  tliis  record  : 
"  Twenty-three  years  have  passed 
since  I  wrote  in  this  journal.  I  can  scarcely 
say  why — I  believe  that  I  ceased  to  write 
because  pride  gradually  increased,  and  I 
could  not  even  describe  the  state  of  my  soul 
without  some  inflation,  which  spoiled  all." 

Again,  on  the  iirst  of  July,  he  writes  in 
this  journal,  in  which  the  secret  workings  of 


LITE    OF   BISHOP    AVLLSOX.  103 

his  heart  are  described:  "To-morrow,  if  it 
please  God,  I  sliall  conjplete  nij  fifty-second 
year,  and  enter  my  fifty-tliird.  What  should 
be  my  resolutions  lor  the  new  year  i  .  Tull 
me,  O  my  soul  !  Mlmt  I  ought  to  do,  as  it 
respects  my  private  devotions,  my  ministerial 
work,  my  children,  religious  societies,  and 
the  Church  of  God. 

"  1.  My  private  devotions  ought  to  be 
more  regular,  fervent,  and  spiritual— above 
all,  I  ought  to  study  the  Bible  more  humbly 
and  prayerfully. 

"  2.  My  ministry  demands  more  simplicity, 
sweetness,  tenderness  of  heart,  spirituality, 
fidelity,  boldness. 

"  3.  My  children  require  my  prayers,  my 
example,  my  instructions,  and  a  steady,  con- 
sistent walk. 

"4.  The  societies  need  carefulness  to  avoid 
divisions,  and  to  keep  from  needless  interfer- 
ence ;  all  must  be  open,  straightforward,  wise. 

"  5.  The  Church  of  God  wants  a  heart  full 
of  charity,  a  single  eye,  and  the  simplicity 
of  Jesus  Christ  in  all  things. 


104  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

"  I  have,  myself,  to  guard  against  (1) 
pride  ;  (2)  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  ;  (3)  vain 
and  worldly  reading.  Give  me,  O  God  !  the 
needful  grace," 

Once  more,  on  the  10th  of  the  same  month, 
we  find'these  honest  confessions  of  a  contrite 
heart.  "  How  can  I  begin  my  meditation  ! 
How  can  I  enter  Thy  presence,  my  God  ! 
My  thoughts  oppress  me.  Tlie  instahility 
of  my  character,  the  weakness  of  my  will, 
my  frequent  relapses,  shut  my  muutli  and 
make  me  miserable.  I  liave  preached  tliis 
morning  on  the  fall  of  David,  from  the  words, 
'  Tliou  art  the  mani'  But  I  liave  more  need 
of  self-application  than  any  of  my  hearers. 

"'I  am  the  man  I'  the  man  unfaithful, 
the  man  ungrateful,  the  man  pioud.  the  man 
living  to  himself — the  man  full  of  covetous- 
ness,  weakness,  and  corruption.  O  my  God  ! 
have  pity  on  me.  Visit  me  with  Tliy  grace. 
Give  me  Thy  Spirit.  Destroy  in  me  tlie 
dominion  of  sin,  and  set  up  the  kingdom  of 
purity  and  virtue." 

About    the   time    that   Mr.    Wilson    was 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  105 

making  these  entries,  all  Islington  was  in  an 
uproar.  The  difficulty  arose  from  an  unin- 
tentional error  which  had  been  made  in  the 
election  of  the  parish  trustees,  for  which  he 
was  in  no  way  responsible.  It  gave  occa- 
sion, however,  for  the  old  spirit  of  opposition! 
to  show  itself  again,  and  several  stormy 
vestry  meetings  were  held.  The  vicar's 
friends  were  unwilling  that  he  should  be  ex- 
posed to  the  thickest  of  the  contest,  and  the 
senior  warden  presided  in  his  place.  We 
shall  not  attempt  to  go  into  particulars,  but 
merely  say  that  the  agitated  waves  of  party 
strife  ere  long  subsided,  and  when  the  war- 
den, in  his  capacity  of  chairman,  went  to  the 
vicar  to  report,  the  latter  replied  to  his  con- 
gratulations on  the  favorable  result : 

"  My  dear  sir,  I  thought  it  would  be  even 
as  you  had  said,  because  I  knew  that  God 
heareth  and  answereth  prayer.  The  moment 
you  left  me  last  night,  I  sent  for  my  curates, 
that  '  two  or  three'  might  agree  in  wliat  they 
should  ask  ;  and  when  you  were  taking  the 
chair,  we  fell  upon  our  knees  and  besought 


106  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSOX. 

the  Lord  to  give  you  a  mouth  and  wisdom 
that  no  adversary  might  be  able  to  gainsay 
or  resist.  Thus,  whilst  you  were  striving  in 
the  plain,  we  were  ])raying  on  the  mount. 
And  this  is  the  i-esult.    May  God  be  praised  !" 

"  Ah,  sir,"  said  the  church-warden,  when 
giving  this  account  of  his  vicar,  with  tearful 
eye  and  quivering  lip,  "  ah,  sir,  he  was 
indeed  a  man  of  prayer." 

Mr.  Wilson  had  spent  eight  years  at  Isling- 
ton, and  thirty  thousand  persons  had  felt  the 
influence  of  his  devotion  to  their  service. 

It  had  seemed  a  great  undertaking  when 
he  entered  upon  the  care  of  this  single  par- 
ish, but  it  was  as  nothing  compared  with 
that  which  now  awaited  him. 

In  1831,  Bishop  Turner,  of  Calcutta,  died. 
He  was  the  fourth  prehite  who,  witiiiu  a 
short  space  of  time,  had  sunk  under  the 
enervating  climate  of  India. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  how  Mr.  Wilson's 
thoughts  had  for  years  past  been  turned  to- 
wards the  East.  His  interest  in  Bishoj^  Heber 
we  have  already  referred  to.     In  182'J,  wlien 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    "VVILSON.  107 

Dr.  Turner  was  about  to  sail  lor  liis  distant 
diocese,  he  visited  Islington,  and  attended  a 
meeting  ot"  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
Mr.  Wilson  presided,  and  in  his  address  he 
assured  the  Uisliop  that  it",  at  any  time,  the 
people  of  Islington  could  give  or  do  anything 
to  benelit  India,  they  were  ready.  Little 
did  he  foresee  how  that  pledge  would  be 
redeemed  ! 

Bishop  Turner  had  so  great  confidence  in 
Mr.  Wilson's  judgment,  that  he  begged  him 
to  make  such  su":<;estions  as  he  thouj^ht 
would  be  of  use  to  him  in  his  Indian  Ei)isco- 
pate— which  request  was  faithfully  complied 
with. 

Two  years  passed  by,  and  Bishop  Turner 
liad  been  taken  away,  and  India  was  calling 
for  another  to  fill  his  place.  Such  a  fatality 
had  attended  those  who  had  hitherto  gone 
out  (four  Bishops  having  died  \\ithin  nine 
years),  that  several  who  had  been  offered  the 
mitre,  declined  to  accept  it.  In  this  emer- 
gency, Mr.  Wilson  declared  his  willingness 
to  go,  in  case  no  one  else  could  be  found. 


108  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

Does  not  the  death  of  his  devoted  wife 
seem  desijjned  bv  Providence  to  break  a  tie 
wliich  iniirht  have  bound  him  fast  to  En- 
gland,  and  kept  him  back  from  long  years 
of  service  in  Indi.i  i  Let  no  man  i>resiime 
to  say  that  it  was  ambition  wln'ch  prompted 
the  Vicar  of  Islington  to  ninke  the  ]»ropo8al 
he  did.  lie  was  most  ha]>pily  situated,  en- 
joyed an  ample  competency,  occupied  a  high 
position,  was  surroundi'd  by  loving  friends, 
and  exercised  a  wide  influence.  AVhat  c»»nld 
India  ofi'er  in  exchange  for  these  ?  Those  to 
whom  the  appointing  power  was  entrusted, 
were  sensible  of  the  deej)  respon.-ibility 
which  rested  on  them,  and  tluy  made  the 
most  anxious  inquiries  concerning  Mr.  "Wil- 
son's fitness  for  so  difficult  and  trying  a 
position.  All  were  at  last  fully  satistied  that 
he  was  well  qualified  for  the  office,  and  ho 
was  accordingly  offered  the  Bishopric  of 
India.  No  further  time  was  to  be  lost. 
Nine  months  had  already  passed  since  the 
death  of  Bishop  Turner,  and  his  successor 
should  be  ready  to  depart. 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  109 

Sunday,  April  29th,  was  fixed  for  the  con- 
secration. On  that  day  he  arose  early,  and 
made  this  entry  in  his  journal  :  "  1  am  now 
come  to  the  beginning  of  this  awful,  solemn, 
delightful  day — the  day  of  my  espousals  to 
Christ  iny  Saviour — the  day  of  my  renewal 
t»f  my  vows  as  deacon  and  priest,  and  of  the 
additional  vows  of  siii>erintendent,  overseer, 
and  Bishop  of  the  Church  of  CaU-utta.  O 
Lord!  assist  mc  in  the  piepaiation  for  this 
office.  Aid  me  during  the  solemnities  of  ilu- 
day.  Grant  me  grace  after  it  to  fullil  my 
engagements  and  jiromises." 

At  jtrayers  with  his  family  that  morning, 
he  expounde<l  St.  I'aulV  address  to  the  elders 
of  the  Church  at  Ephe>us,  and  wiih  decj) 
feeling  and  faltering  voice  a))plie(l  some  of 
the  verses  to  his  own  case. 

"I  also  go  to  India  under  somewhat  simi- 
lar circumstances  with  the  Apostle;  in  that 
*I  know  not  the  things  that  shall  befall  me 
there.'  But  his  God  will  be  my  God,  and 
his  Father  my  Father,  and  therefore  none  of 

these  things  move  me." 
10 


110  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILCOX. 

The  consecration  took  place  in  the  chapel 
of  Lambetli  Palace,  the  Archbishop  of  Can- 
terbury being  assisted  in  the  solenwi  office  bv 
Dr.  Bloomtield,  Bishop  of  London.  Dr.  Moiik, 
Bishop  of  Gloucester,  and  l)r.  (iray.  Bishop 
of  Bristol. 

The  new  bishop  of  Calcutta  readied  home 
about  five  in  the  afternoon,  and  retiriiifj  to 
his  study,  appeared  no  more  that  day.  The 
following  were  his  evening  metlitations: 
"Lord,  I  would  n..w  adon-  Thee  for  Thv 
great  grace  given  unto  me;  that  I  should  be 
called  to  the  ofiice  of  Chief  pastor  and 
Bishop  of  Thy  Church.  Oh  !  guard  me  from 
the  spiritual  dangers  to  wliich  I  am  most 
exposed — pride,  self-consequence,  worldliuess 
of  spirit,  false  dignity,  human  applause, 
abuse  of  authority,  reliance  on  j.a.st  knowl- 
edge or  experience.  Lord,  give  me  sim- 
plicity of  heart,  boldness,  steadiness,  decision 
of  character,  deadness  of  affection  to  the 
world.  Let  me  remember  that  the  great 
vital  points  of  religion  are  the  main  things 
to  be  kept  constantly  and  steadilv  on  mv 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 


Ill 


heart,  tlien  compassion  for  souls,  then  sini- 
plicitv  of  object,  iiud  ulistraction  from  everv 
other  interfering  claim;  then  a  spirit  of 
prayer  and  supplication  ;  then  learning  les- 
sons from  atttietinn,  when  God  sends  it." 

"We  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  mul- 
tiplied engagements  which  (jccupied  his  last 
dav8  in  Enjrland.  Having  seen  his  son  in- 
ducted  into  the  living  of  Islington,  and  at- 
tended to  every  other  «iiit y,  he  left  his  native 
shores  on  the  llMh  of  .June,  18^2,  in  the  ship 
James  Sihhald,  bound  for  Calcutta. 


C^a^tcr   Stbmtlr. 

MAKING  GOOD  USE  OF  A  SEA-TOYAGE— DAILY  BOtmSE 
ON  SHIP-BOABD— INTEKESTIXG  LETTER  TO  THE  DEAN 
OF  SALISBURY— THE  DARK  AND  BRIGHT  6IDE.S  OF  THE 
PICTURE— DESIRE  TO  GLORIFY  GOD  —  ARRIVAL  AT 
CAPE  TOWN— AN  UNEXPECTED  VLSITOR — TKX  DAYS 
-WELL  SPENT— AFFECTING  FAREWELL— MORE  DILIGENT 
THAN  BEFORE — SICKNESS  BREAKS  OUT — FIRST  SIGHT 
OF   INDIA — LANDING    AT    CALCUTTA. 

NY  one  who  has  experienced  the 
inconveniences  and  discomforts  of 
a  sea-vovage,  will  be  prepared  to 
V(2y  give  Bishop  AVils«>n  full  credit  fur 
his  eflbrts  to  be  nseful  during  so 
trying  a  period.  The  confinement 
of  the  ship,  to  a  certain  extent,  affected  liis 
health,  but  he  made  the  best  use  of  his  time, 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  extract 
from  a  letter  to  a  friend  : 

'July  26,  1832. 

"  "We  live  very  i-egularly.     My  day  is  this : 
I  rise  at  six  o'clock,  and  spend   till  nearly 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  113 

eight  in  my  cabin  ;^  then  walk  for  a  quarter 
of  an  lioiir  before  prayers  in  the  cuddy,  when 
I  read  and  comment  on  tlie  prophet  Isaiah ; 
reading  and  writing,  with  occasional  walks 
of  five  minutes  interposed,  occupy  the  moi-n- 
ing  till  two  o'clock;  we  dine  at  three;  repose 
in  cabin  follows  till  five ;  at  half-past  five  we 
have  evening  prayers  on  deck,  when  I  read 
and  comment  on  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles; 
tea  at  six  ;  then  come  exercise  and  readiuir: 
at  nine  o'clock,  private  prayer  in  cabin,  with 
my  daughter  and  chaj)lain  ;  at  ten  o'clock  I 
am  in  my  cot,  with  light  put  out.     Our  pro- 
vision is  abundaiir.     Tliere  were  shipped,  I 
understand,  thirty-six  dozen  of  poultry,  forty 
sheep,  forty  pigs,   one   hundred    barrels  of 
beer,  one  hundred  and  fifty  Yorkshire  hams, 
and  a  cow  to  give  milk  all  the  voyage;  be- 
sides dried  fruits,  preserved  meats,  and  wines, 
including  champagne  and  claret." 

A  letter  to  the  Dean  of  Salisbury,  which 
we  transcribe,  will  interest  our  readers  and 
furnish  the  best  account  of  his  experiences 
on  the  great  deep. 

10* 


114  LiFi:  OF  iJisnoi'  wilson. 

''Saturday,  July  28,  1832.  N.  Lat.  4-  10'.  W.  Lonp. 
14°  12',  about  4,300  miles  from  England  by 
the  log,  and  400  miles  from  Cape  Palmas. 
"Did  you  ever  see  such  a  date,  with  so 
many  guides  to  the  reader'  But  such  is  the 
best  method  of  giving  you  a  correct  notion 
of  our  present  spot.  AVe  are  hoping  to  meet 
some  homeward-bound  vessel  as  we  pass  the 
line,  and  I  write  in  order  to  avail  myself  of 
the  opportunity.  We  liave  had  a  most  lavur- 
able  passage  thus  far — not  very  quick,  but 
most  agreeable;  no  storms,  no  heat,  no  calm, 
no  rain.  We  are  now  entering  the  trade- 
winds,  which  will  not  leave  us,  as  we  Impe, 
till  we  reach  the  Cape.  The  sea-sickness 
was  a  mere  trifle ;  in  one  week  we  had  over- 
come it.  But  the  real  pressure  upon  the 
mind  and  body  is  separation,  the  severing  of 
all  bonds  of  nature  and  habit,  desolation  of 
heart,  the  feeling  of  being  alone  and  impris- 
oned on  the  wild,  barren,  boundless  ocean, 
without  the  possibility  of  escape  ;  no  change, 
no  external  world,  no  news,  no  communica- 
tion. Then,  the  diti'erence  of  diet,  bad  wa- 
ter, bad  butter,   bad   tea,  a  rolling  cot  by 


LIFE    OF   BISnOP    WTLSON.  115 

night  and  an  uncasj  ship  by  day,  the  head 
confined,  the  heart  withered,  the  capacity  of 
thought  and  prayer  lost!  These  constitute 
the  privations  of  a  five  or  six  months'  voy- 
age, undertaken  for  the  fii-st  time,  in  the  fifty- 
fourth  year  of  a  minister's  age,  and  after  all 
his  habits  and  associations  have  been  but- 
tressed and  propped  up  by  parish  commit- 
tees, public  duties,  a  circle  of  brethren,  and 
the  endearments  of  a  family. 

"This  is  tlic  dark  *ide  of  the  picture. 
Revei-se  it,  and  all  is  brightness,  joy,  confi- 
dence in  God,  peace,  anticipation,  gratitude 
for  being  permitted  to  enter  on  such  a  design, 
and  preparation  for  a  future  day.  And  all 
the  previous  chaos  of  feeling  has  its  lesson. 
It  constitutes  a  '  dispensation,'  and  draws  one 
inward  upon  conscience,  faith,  prayer.  These 
allure  the  heart  out  of  itself,  and,  from  the 
sensible  objects  of  discouragement,  to  God 
and  His  sovereignty,  omnipresence,  all-suffi- 
ciency, and  then  it  arrives  at  peace,  its  true 
felicity  and  end.  I  have  been  much  reflect- 
ing on  the  mysterious  course  of  events  which 


116  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSOX. 

have  led  me  to  this  cabin  as  a  Bishop  of  In- 
dia, compared  with  my  education  as  a  boy 
destined  for  commerce,  in  December,  1792. 
Then  began  that  intercourse  with  my  fatlier- 
in-law,  which  led  to  my  espousing  his  eldest 
daughter  in  1803,  to  the  parish  of  Islington, 
to  the  new  churches,  and  t'roni  these  to  Cal- 
cutta. AVhen  I  trace  back  this  order  of 
events,  I  am  smitten  with  adoration  at  the 
mercy  and  compassion  of  the  Lord.  If  a 
single  link  had  been  wanting  in  the  chain, 
the  whole  would  have  fallen  to  pieces.  Yea, 
my  beloved  friend,  I  look  back,  like  Jacob, 
to  the  time  when  witii  my  staff  I  ])assed 
Jordan,  and  now  1  am  become  two  bands. 
To  the  Lord  only  be  all  the  ]>raise  ascribed. 
My  heart  overflows  with  love  and  adoration 
to  my  God  and  Saviour  for  all  His  mercies. 
And  yet  other  feelings  perhaps  surpass  these 
— a  sense  of  huiniliation  for  my  returns  for 
all  these  benefits.  I  cannot  enter  upon  this 
topic,  it  would  defeat  its  object.  But  God 
knoweth  my  heart.  What  a  sinner  before 
my  practical  knowledge  of  the  Gospel,  :nul 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  117 

what  a  feeble,  wandering  soul  since !  One 
more  thought,  however,  equals,  or  ought  to 
equal,  this — the  desire  to  glorify  God,  and 
fultil  my  duties  in  the  Superintendence  and 
Bishopric^  now  so  unexpectedly  entrusted  to 
me.  All  my  past  history  should  make  me 
the  more  anxious  to  amend,  to  rise  higher, 
to  acquire  more  wisdom,  to  act  with  more 
decision,  promptitude,  disinterestedness,  and 
consistency  ;  to  believe,  love,  and  obey,  with 
more  elevated  and  aspiring  motives  than 
ever.  Nothing  more  easy  than  to  nuir  the 
last  scene  of  life.  But  to  till  it  up  with 
dignity,  meekness,  discretion,  holiness,  sim- 
plicity of  aim — this  is  tlie  difficulty.  Lord, 
help  me !" 

It  had  been  arranged,  previously  to  Bishop 
Wilson's  departure  from  England,  that  he 
should  stop  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
discharge  such  Episcopal  functions  as  might 
be  required,  notice  having  been  sent  before- 
hand to  that  effect. 

When  the  vessel  reached  Cape  Town,  he 
was  sorry  to  find  that  these  despatches  had 


118  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

not  been  received,  and  no  preparations  made 
for  bis  visit. 

The  Bishop  was,  however,  received  with 
the  utmost  courtesy  hy  the  Governor,  and 
arrangements  were  made  to  enable  liim  to 
spend  the  brief  period  of  his  sojuurn  to  the 
best  advantage.  Besides  preacliing  on  sev- 
eral occasions,  visiting  the  schools,  conse- 
crating two  pieces  of  ground  on  which 
churches  were  to  be  built,  attending  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge,  and  huldiiig  an  ordination,  lie 
confirmed  three  hundred  persons.  An  aft'rct- 
ing  farewell  address  closed  his  labors  at 
Cape  Town — when  many  followed  him  to 
the  ship,  and  with  tears  and  prayers  for  his 
safety,  bade  him  farewell.  The  ten  days, 
thus  profitably  spent,  were  long  remembered 
with  satisfaction  and  delight  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  Cape,  and  the  Bishop  found  in 
them  a  useful  preparation  for  the  more 
arduous  duties  which  awaited  Jiim.  During 
the  remainder  of  the  voyage  he  diligently 
applied  himself  to  his  studies,  drew  closer  to 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  119 

the  missionaries  and  cateehists,  who  were 
his  tV'lluw-passengers,  aiici  began  a  course  of 
lectures  in  his  privat'  cabin,  in  anticipation 
of  tlie  ordination  at  Calcutta. 

Meanwhile,  6ickIK■^.s  had  broken  out,  the 
Bishop's  daughter  being  one  of  the  suf- 
ferers. It  was  a  great  relief  to  his  anxious 
mind  when  they  reached  the  yellow  waters 
of  Sangor — and,  in  <iuc  time,  the  low  nunl 
banks  of  the  Ilooghly  presented  themselves 
to  view. 

When  the  ship  cast  anchor  oft'  Kedgeree, 
a  little  steamer  canTe  ah»nir<ide,  brinirin^ 
Archdeacon  C'orric  and  Di-.  Mill — the  former 
of  whom,  having  long  kii.«wn  the  IJishop, 
now  hastened  forward,  embraced,  and  kissed 
him,  with  the  most  tender  aftection.  The 
James  l^ibbald  was  towed  by  the  steamer  to 
Calcutta,  where  the  Bishop  landed,  under  a 
salute  from  the  fort,  on  Monday,  November 
5th,  1832. 


€\mitx  6igbtl]. 


THE  bishop's  installation — KIND  ADDRESS  TO  THE 
CLERGY — JURISDICTION  OF  THE  RI^HOP  OF  CALCUTTA 
IN  1832 — A  WISE  DIVISION  OF  80  VAST  A  FIELD— FIRST 

SERMON  IN  THE  CATHEDRAL GENERAL    IXSI'ECTIOX  OF 

SCHOOLS  AND  MISSIONARY  SOCIETIES— THE  CIVILITIK8 
OF  LIFE  —  bishop's  PALACE  —  "  KNOUOH  FOR  8UX 
months!" — MARRIAGE  OF  A  DArOHTEK — TWO  YEAB8 
FOR  ACCLIMATION — IMPOSSIBILITY  OF  PLEASING  EVERY- 
BODY— WISDOM  jrSTIFIED  OF  HER  CHILDUEN — PER- 
SONAL HABITS — MODES  OF  GAINING  INFORMATION — 
FRIENDLY  AND  CONFIDENTIAL  INTERCOURSE  WITH  THE 
GOVERNOR-GENERAL — ATTENDING      TO     BrSIXES.S     ON 

HORSEBACK ''  LORD  W  ILLIAM  IS  LESS  OF  A  CHIRCUMAJI 

THAN  I  COULD  DESIRE.'' 


HE  same  inorning  tliat  Bi^llOl>  Wil- 
son landed  at  Calcutta,  lie  went  to 
the  cathedral,  where  he  was  in- 
stalled* by  Archdeacon  Corrie,  with 
the  nsiial  ceremonies,  about  twenty 
clergymen  being  present.  He  took 
advantage  of  this  occasion  to  make  a  bhort 

<*  A  full  description  of  the  service  of  installation  will 
be  found  in  the  Life  of  Bishop  Stewart,  of  Quebec,  in  this 
series,  p.  9-t. 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  121 

and  affectionate  address,  in  which  he  begged 
an  interest  in  their  prayers,  and  assured  them 
tliat  he  wished  to  be  regarded  as  a  brother  to 
the  older  clergy,  and  a  father  to  the  younger. 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta, 
in  1832,  extended  over  territories  now  wisely 
divided  into  sixteen  distinct  dioceses.  The 
burden  was  enough  to  crusli  any  one  wlio 
should  nuike  the  attempt  to  carry  it,  and  yet 
the  new  prelate  of  India  was  resolved,  by 
God's  help,  to  do  what  he  could.  So  little 
had  hitherto  been  accomplished  in  the  way 
of  establishing  great  general  principles  «f 
action,  that  he  was  obliged  to  proceed  with 
extreme  caution,  taking  advice  from  others, 
and  calling  his  own  good  sense  into  constant 
requisition. 

On  the  11th  of  November,  the  Bishop 
preached  liis  iirst  sermon  in  the  cathedral, 
choosing  for  his  theme  the  language  of  St. 
Paul  [Ephesians  iii.  8],  "  The  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ."  A  large  and  attentive 
congregation,  including  the  public  author- 
ities, was  in  attendance. 
11 


122  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

He  next  went  round  preacliing  in  all  the 
Other  churches  in  Calcutta  and  the  neighbor- 
hood. He  also  visited  Bishop's  College  un<l 
the  several  mission  schools,  pre&ided  nv.r 
meetings  of  the  Societies  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge,  and  for  the  Propaga- 
tion of  the  Gospel,  besides  writing  letters  of 
instruction  to  Madras,  Bombay,  Ceylon, 
Australia,  aTid  China. 

All  this  while  the  whole  society  of  Calcutta 
was  jjaying  him  the  courtesies  due  to  his 
position  and  office,  and  he  was  busy  making 
a/rangements  for  taking  possession  of  the 
house  which  the  Government  provided  for 
his  use.  This  was  entirely  unfurnished,  and 
when  the  Bishop  first  went  to  see  it,  he  found 
such  a  scanty  supply  of  chairs  and  tables 
scattered  through  it,  that  lie  said  to  Arch- 
deacon Corrie,  to  whom  he  had  written  from 
England  to  have  it  provided  with  all  things 
needful, "  Why  is  this  ?"  The  good  clergyman 
replied,  "  I  thought,  my  lord,  that  there  was 
enough  to  last  for  six  months."  As  most  of 
the  Bishop's  predecessors  had   died  within 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  123 

this  brief  space,  he  concluded,  in  his  sim- 
plicity, that  it  would  be  foolish  to  make 
arrangements  for  a  lon<^er  period.  The 
Bishop  smiled,  but  immediately  gave  orders 
to  have  the  house  completely  furnished. 
India  was  henceforth  to  be  his  home,  and,  in 
order  to  prolong  his  days  for  usefulness, 
he  must  secure  for  himself  the  comforts  of 
life. 

Before  the  close  of  the  year  1832,  the 
Bishop's  daughter  became  the  wife  of  his 
chaplain — the  Eev.  Josiah  Bateman — a  mar- 
riage which  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the 
devoted  father.  The  new  comers  had  been 
advised  to  remain  for  two  years  in  Calcutta, 
in  order  to  become  acclimated,  and  they  fol- 
lowed these  prudent  counsels. 

It  is  impossible  for  a  man  to  please  every- 
body, let  him  act  as  wisely  and  prudently  as 
he  may.  Bishop  Wilson  soon  found  that 
Calcutta  was  like  Jerusalem  of  old.  "There 
were  children  sitting  in  the  market-place,  an(l 
calling  one  to  another,  and  saying,  'We  have 
piped  unto  you,  and  ye  have  not  danced  ;  we 


124  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    "WILSON. 

have  mourned  to  you,  and  ye  have  not  wept.' " 
Bishop  Heber  had  been  blamed  for  neglect- 
ing etiquette ;  Bishop  Wilson  was  blamed  for 
observing  it.  Bishop  Turner  had  been  cen- 
sured lor  keeping  no  establishment,  seeing 
little  society,  being  little  known,  and  failing, 
consequently,  in  acquiring  that  influence 
which  he  had  often  needed  in  carrying  out 
his  wise  and  practical  measures.  Bishop 
Wilson  was  accused  of  ostentation  for  keep- 
ing open  house,  for  using  hospitalit}*,  and  for 
acquiring  in  this  way  valuable  friends  and 
extensive  influence. 

But  wisdom  is  justified  of  all  her  children. 
His  personal  habits  at  this  time  were  very 
simple  and  regular.  He  rose  early,  and  rode 
on  a  small  black  horse,  brougiit  from  the 
Cape,  which  for  a  time  was  able  to  take  care 
both  of  itself  and  its  master,  and  by  an  easy 
amble  gave  air  without  eflbrt.  Piivate  de- 
votions were  succeeded  by  family  prayers  in 
the  chapel  which  he  had  himself  fitted  up. 
His  chaplain,  from  the  reading-desk,  read 
the  appointed  lesson,  and  he,  from  his  seat, 


LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  125 

expounded  it,  and  then  prayed.  A  hearty 
breakfast  of  rice,  fish,  and  soojce  (a  kind  of 
porridge)  followed.  The  morning  was  then 
gi  ven  to  business.  At  mid-day  lie  rested,  and 
generally  slept  for  two  jiours;  and  thoiigli 
business  M-ent  on,  he  was  never  disturbed. 
Eefreshed  by  sleep,  he  was  ready  for  the 
afternoon  dak,  and  for  any  matters  that 
pressed  for  decision.  The  evening  ride  or 
drive  and  the  late  dinner  followed;  family 
prayers  and  evening  devotions  closed  the 
day.  Good  appetite  and  sound  sleep,  the 
two  pillars  of  good  health,  sustained  him 
during  the  many  years  of  his  Indian  course. 
He  was  indefatigable  in  acquiring  informa- 
tion. Every  chaplain  as  he  visited  the  Presi- 
dency, each  missionary  when  he  called  on 
business,  travellers  like  Dr.  Wolff  from  far 
countries,  all  civil  and  military  servants  with 
whom  he  came  in  contact,  were  put  under 
contribution.  No  pains  were  spared,  no 
opinion  despised,  no  advice  rejected.  A  visit 
to  Dr.  Carey  at  Serampore  elicited  many 
interesting  reminiscences  of  the  early  Chris- 
11* 


126  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

tianity  of  India.  A  visit  to  Enssipngla  gave 
reality  to  the  missionary  work  now  carrying 
on.  A  friendly  conversation  with  Dr.  Duff 
furnished  important  information  on  the  sub- 
ject of  native  education.  All  was  written 
down  at  the  time  in  a  MS.  book,  and  pre- 
served for  future  perusal,  enlargement,  or 
correction,  lie  was,  in  truth,  thoroughly  a 
man  of  business.  His  heart  was  in  liis  work. 
It  engrossed  even  his  morning  ride  and  even- 
ing drive.  When  others,  weary  with  a  sleep- 
less night  or  breathless  day,  sought  the  early 
bracing  air  or  cool  evening  breeze,  and  felt 
totally  unfit  for  business,  he  seemed  lit  for 
nothing  else,  and  to  like  nothing  half  so  well. 
Join  him,  and  the  business  of  yesterday,  the 
plans  of  to-day,  the  proji)ects  for  to  morrow, 
were  instantly  brought  upon  the  tapis ;  and 
the  matters  discussed  alreaily  many  iimes, 
were  discussed  at  full  length  unee  more.  It 
was  thus  he  developed  his  ideas  and  fixed  his 
purposes.  His  mind  was  cleared  and  made 
up,  not  so  much  by  thought  as  by  conversa- 
tion.    The  repetition  caused  him  no  we^ri- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  127 

ness.     Business  was  liis  recreation   and  de- 
light.* 

When  Bishop  Wilson  first  reached  Calcutta, 
he  was  received  by  the  Vice-President,  at- 
tended by  his  aides-de-camp  ;  the  Governor- 
General,  Lord  Bentinck,  being  then  absent 
on  a  tour  through  the  upper  provinces.  The 
Governor-General,  however,  sent  him  a  cour- 
teous greeting,  and  after  returning  to  Calcutta 
in  February,  1S33,  he  calletl  on  the  Bishop 
without  ceremony,  and  friendly  and  confi- 
dential intercourse  at  once  began.  They 
were  accustomed  to  go  out  on  horseback 
together  almost  daily,  and  much  important 
business  was  transacted  during  these  pleasant 
rides. 

"  Lord  and  Lady  William,"  says  the 
Bishop,  when  writing  to  Mr.  Charles  Grant, 
''  are  a  blessing  to  India.  We  differ  widely 
about  establishments,  etc.,  but  what  is  that 
compared  to  a  difference,  which  might  easily 
occur,  about  the  good  of  India,  the  interests 

o  Bateinan,  p.  252,  etc.  Many  ptissages  taken  in  whole 
or  in  part  from  this  work,  are  not  specially  noted. 


128  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

of  the  natives,  and  the  diflusion  of  Chribti- 
anity,  on  which  we  are  strongly  agreed?" 

And  again,  later:  "Lord  William  is  rather 
more  of  a  Whig,  and  less  of  a  Chnrclunan, 
than  1  conld  desire,  hut  incomparably  better 
than  the  highest  Churchman,  if  without 
piety,  vigor,  and  activity.  Lord  William 
reverences  religion  and  its  sincc-re  professors 
and  ministers,  but  he  has  prejudices  against 
bishops,  ecclesiastical  establishments,  and 
national  churches." 


Cliapttr  Pntb. 


DETAILS  OF  LABOR — DIFFICULTIES  IX  THE  FREE  SCHOOL, 
AND  MEASURES  TAKEN  TO  RECONCILE  THEM — PUBLI- 
CATION OF  PAINE's  "age  OF  REASON*' — LECTURES 
ON      THE     EVIDENCES     OF      CHRISTIANITY  —  CLERICAL 

MEETINGS — THEIR    EFFECTS — BISHOp's    COLLEGE THE 

NEW  BISHOP  DOES  HIS  DUTY  AS  A  VISITOR — FIRST 
ORDINATION  IN  INDIA — A  HOLY  WEEK — LARGE  CON- 
FIRMATION— THE  "seven  duties" — NOT  TOO  LATE — 
AN  AWKWARD  INTERRUPTION — CONVERSION  OF  THE 
NATIVES — TJlE  BISHOP  VISITS  AN  INTERESTING  MISSION 
—CHRISTIANITY  AND  PAGANISM  SIDE  BY  SIDE — BAP- 
TISM   ADMINISTERED "  GOOD,    GOOD." 


^/(^^  HE  two  years  spent  by  Bishop  Wil- 
son in  Calcutta,  while  becoming 
accustomed  to  the  enervating  efiects 
of  the  climate,  were  very  busy  ones. 
"We  mu?t  go  somewhat  into  details, 
in  order  to  show  the  multiplicity 
and  importance  of  his  engagements. 

The  Free  School — a  noble  institution, 
founded  many  years  before,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  East  Indian  and  Portuguese  inhabit- 
ants of  the  city,  where  three  or  four  hundred 


130  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    -WILSON. 

children  were  trained  for  future  usefulness — 
had  been  much  hindered  in  its  great  mission 
for  good,  by  unhappy  dissensions  among  the 
trustees. 

At  the  urgent  r --quest  of  all  parties,  the 
Bishop  consented  to  arbitrate  in  the  matter. 
Having  made  himself  fully  acquainted  witli 
all  the  particulars  of  the  case,  he  brought  his 
worldly  wisdom  to  bear  upon  it,  and  at  last 
succeeded  so  perfectly  in  restoring  harmony 
and  peace,  that  he  received  a  corTlial  vote  of 
thanks  for  his  kind  and  conciliating  conduct. 
All  this  was  to  liini  a  subject  of  grateful 
praise,  as  every  previous  step  had  been  a 
subject  of  fervent  prayer. 

Infidelity  had  been  active  in  India,  as  in 
other  quarters  of  the  globe,  in  attempting  to 
BOW  tares  among  the  wheat ;  and  on  the 
Bishop's  arrival,  a  copy  of  Paine's  "  Age  of 
Reason"  was  handed  him — one  of  a  large 
edition  which  had  been  published  by  some 
who  professed  to  be  Christians,  for  the  per- 
version of  the  educated  and  inquiring  natives. 
In  order  to  counteract  the  evil  effects  of  this 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   Wn.SON.  131 

dangerous  book,  he  delivered  a  course  of  Lent 
Lectures,  in  the  catliedral,  on  the  Evidences 
of  Christianity,  which  were  largely  attended, 
and  produced  a  very  decided  impression. 

One  of  the  Bishop's  first  acts  was  to  estab- 
lish a  series  of  clerical  meetings,  to  be  held 
at  his  own  house,  witli  a  view  to  cultivate 
more  friendlv  relations  amonjr  the  clergy  of 
Calcutta  and  the  neighborhood.  Personal 
friendships  were  tlius  strengthened  and  pre- 
judices removed,  many  interesting  theological 
questions  were  discussed,  and  devout  prayers 
offered  up  for  the  influences  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  which  we  may  believe  were  abun- 
dantl}'  answered.  The  Bishop  always  opened 
the  discussion  himself,  after  having  given  a 
brief  statement  of  measures  in  progress,  or 
completed,  for  the  benefit  of  the  diocese. 
Each  clergyman  present  was  called  npon  in 
turn  to  explain  his  opinion,  and  at  the  hour 
of  prayer  all  proceeded  to  the  chapel,  to 
make  known  their  wants  unto  God,  and  to 
implore  the  great  Head  of  the  Church  to 
bless  the  labors  of  His  servants. 


132  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

In  1832,  although  the  buildings  of  Bishop's 
College  were  complete,  and  the  institution 
was  in  operation,  the  }>upils  were  few  and 
the  prospects  discouraging.  According  to 
the  statutes  of  the  College,  the  Bishop  of 
Calcutta  was  made  a  visitor,  by  virtue  of  his 
office — all  pecuniary  arrangements  being 
supposed  to  be  sanctioned  by  iiini  ;  and  yet 
60  many  unpleasant  difficulties  had  arisen 
between  the  College  authorities  and  Bishop 
Turner,  that  he  had  quietly  withdrawn  from 
all  interference.  Ilis  more  energetic  suc- 
cessor felt  that  this  would  be  wrong,  and  he 
accordingly  resumed  the  position  which  law- 
fully belonged  to  him,  and  by  a  cour.-e  at 
once  kind  and  decided,  he  did  mucii  to  pro- 
mote the  usefulness  of  this  noble  institution. 

Bishop  Wilson's  first  ordination,  in  India, 
was  held  on  the  Epiphany  after  his  arrival, 
when  two  candidates  were  admitted  to  the 
holy  order  of  Deacons,  and  seven  to  the 
Priesthood.  As  all  subsequent  ordinations 
were  conducted  after  the  same  model,  it  will 
be  proper  to  mention  that  during  the  week 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  133 

preceding  the  solemn  occasion,  the  candidates 
were  guests  at  the  Episcopal  palace— lectures 
being  delivered,  each  day,  at  morning 
prayers,  from  one  of  the  Epistles  to  Timothy 
or  Titus,  of  which  notes  were  taken  down 
by  tliose  for  whose  benefit  they  were  deliv- 
ered. And  thus  the  whole  week  was  spent 
in  prayer,  examination,  and  in  familiar 
instructions — a  week  which  was  never  for- 
gotten. 

On  Tuesday,  April  2d,  1S32,  the  Bishop 
held  his  first  Confirmation  in  India.  Four 
hundred  and  seventy  pei*sons  ai)peared  in  the 
cathedral,  and  participated  in  the  sacred 
rite.  Of  these,  more  than  one  hundred  were 
native  Christians.  Their  numbers  excited 
great  astonishment  at  the  time,  and  no  small 
apprehension  as  to  the  effect  upon  those  that 
were  "  without."  They  clustered  round  the 
communion  rails,  whilst  the  Europeans  filled 
the  body  of  the  cathedral.  The  services 
were  read,  and  the  rite  administered  sepa- 
rately. 

The   many   confirmations    following    this 
12 


134  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

first,  seemed  always  to  be  attended  with  a 
blessing.  The  Bishop's  manner  was  most 
impressive,  and  his  words  most  earnest  and 
affecting.  He  usually  gave  two  addresses — 
one,  hortatory,  before  the  administration, 
and  one,  jiractical,  after  it.  The  full  assent 
of  the  catechumens  he  almost  always  re- 
quired to  be  repeated  twice,  and  sometimes 
thrice,  till  the  church  resounded  with  the 
words,  "  I  do."  And  in  the  second  address, 
he  was  accustomed  to  deliver  seven  rules, 
which  were  to  be  repeated  after  him  at  the 
time,  and  written  in  tiie  Bible  or  the  Prayer- 
book  afterwards.  Subsequently  they  were 
expanded  and  printed  ;  but  originally  they 
wore  short  and  sententious,  as  follows  : 

1.  Pray  every  day  of  your  life  for  more 
and  more  of  God's  Holy  Spirit. 

2.  Prepare  at  once  for  receiving  aright 
the  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Body  and  Blood 
of  Christ. 

3.  Read  every  day  some  portion  of  God's 
Holy  Word. 

4.  Reverence  and  observe  the  Lord's  Day. 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  135 

5.  Keep  in  the  unity  of  the  Church. 

6.  Avoid  bad  company,  and  seek  the  com- 
pany of  the  good. 

7.  When  you  have  got  wrong,  confess  it, 
and  get  right  as  soon  as  you  can. 

In  many  a  Bible  and  Prayer-book  through- 
out India  these  words  will  be  found  written  ; 
by  many  a  civilian,  soldier.  East  Indian,  and 
native  Christian  have  they  been  repeated 
and  treasured  up.  "  Please,  sir,  will  you 
give  us  our  seven  duties,"  was  the  constant 
request  to  the  Bishop's  chaplain  after  ser- 
vice. A  co^jy  of  them  was  always  made, 
and  left  behind  at  every  station,  for  the  use 
of  those  who  had  been  confirmed.  Many 
interesting,  and  some  curious,  incidents  oc- 
curred in  connection  with  them,  of  which  the 
following  are  specimens  : 

On  one  occasion,  when  the  Confirmation 
was  concluded  in  a  large  military  station, 
and  the  Bishop  was  resting  for  a  few  minutes 
in  the  vestry,  a  young  and  noble-looking 
English  soldier  hastily  entered,  and  made 
his   military  salute.     On  being   questioned, 


136  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    \\nL80N. 

it  appeared  that  he  had  been  a  candidate 
for  Confirmation,  and  was  duly  prepared  ; 
but,  having  been  on  guard,  he  was  too  late 
for  the  ceremony,  and  came  now  to  express 
his  sorrow,  and  see  if  his  case  admitted  of  a 
remedy.  For  awhile  the  Bisliop  doubted  ; 
but  his  interest  was  roused  by  hearing  the 
soldier  plead  previous  knowledge,  and  say 
that  he  had  been  a  boy  in  the  Islington  pa- 
rochial schools ;  that  he  had  often  been 
catechised  in  that  church,  and  that  he  had 
heard  the  Bishop's  last  sermon, 

"Kneel  down,"  said  tlie  Bishoji.  He 
knelt,  and  was  confirmed,  and  admitted  to 
the  full  communion  of  the  Church  militant 
on  earth. 

On  another  occasion,  in  tlie  Straits,  when 
the  Bishop  was  enumerating  tliese  seven 
duties,  and  requiring  the  assent  and  pledge 
of  the  catechumens  to  observe  them,  a  voice 
was  heard  from  the  midst  refusing  compli- 
ance. An  aged  man  had  been  confirmed, 
of  an  eccentric  character.  "  No,"  he  said, 
"  he  would  observe  what  the  rubric  required. 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  137 

but  would  pledge  himself  to  nothing  more." 
No  difficulty,  of  course,  was  made  ;  and  with 
the  surprise  the  matter  passed  away.  It  was 
not  the  time  or  place  to  dwell  upon  "  all 
those  things  which  your  godfathers  and  god- 
mothers then  undertook  for  you." 

The  conversion  of  the  natives  to  the  true 
faith  was  a  subject  in  which  the  Bishop  felt 
the  deepest  interest,  and  whenever  any  mis- 
sionaries had  candidates  ready  for  Baptism, 
he  was  glad  to  give  the  sanction  of  his 
presence. 

On  Whitsunday,  1833,  he  baptized  a  native 
convert,  who  had  passed  through  the  various 
stages  between  the  dark  regions  of  heathen- 
ism and  the  purer  atmosphere  of  the  Gospel. 
Afterwards,  we  find  him  going  in  u  flat- 
bottomed  boat,  hollowed  out  of  a  tree,  to 
visit  the  missions  of  the  Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel,  under  the  charge 
of  the  Rev.  D.  Jones,  and  his  catechist,  Mr. 
Driburg.  When  the  little  church-bell  rang 
out  its  cheerful  invitation  to  assemble  for 
public  worship,  the  beating  of  the  tomtom  in 
12* 


138  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILBOS. 

a  pagan  temple  hard  bj  seemed  to  breathe 
defiance. 

After  Divine  service,  the  candidates  for 
Baptism  Avere  publicly  examined,  and  the 
Bishop  admitted  seven  to  the  ark  of  Christ's 
Church,  and  then  addressed  them  in  an  im- 
pressive discourse  from  our  Saviour's  words, 
"  I  am  the  light  of  the  world,"  each  sentence 
being  translated  by  the  missionary.  Great 
interest  was  manifested,  and  now  and  tlien  a 
low  murmur  was  heard  of  "  good,  good  ;" 
"  true,  true  ;"  "  yes,  yes." 

During  the  first  two  years  of  the  Bishop's 
residence  in  Calcutta  he  witnessed  the  bap- 
tism of  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight 
natives — a  number  which  was  afterwards 
largely  increased. 


aptcr  f  cntlr. 


tjifhappy  ditisioxs  among  christians  a  hindrance 
to  the  gospel  —  bishop  wilson  discourages  a 
bpirit  of  proselyting — establishment  of  infant 
schools — successful  experiment — extract  from  a 
bengalee  paper — the  bishop's  efforts  in  behalf 
of  steam  navigation  between  england  and  india 
— the  wide  space  bkidged  oveh  by  oriental 
steamers — renewal  of  the  east  india  company's 
charter  —  the  king  authorized  to  make  some 
important  changes  in  church  affairs — bishop 
Wilson's  joy  at  the  dawn  of  better  days — the 

DIOCESES    filled,  AND    THE    NEW    MACHINERY    SET    TO 
WORK. 

HE  unhappy  divisions  in  the  Chris- 
tian workl  present  a  great  obstacle 
to  tlie  more  rapid  spread  of  the 
'>_p  Gospel,  and  those  who  are  called  to 
labor  in  heathen  lands  find  their 
dithculties  much  increased  thereby. 
Not  only  are  the  poor  benighted  pagans  per- 
plexed by  the  disputes  among  the  disciples 
of  one  Lord  and  Mastei-,  but  the  missionaries 
of  different  denominations  often  expend  more 


140  LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

energy  in  battling  with  each  other,  tlian  in 
wao-ing  war  against  tlie  common  enemy  of  all. 

Bishop  Wilson  thought,  as  the  tield  was  so 
broad,  that  it  was  inexpedient  to  encourage 
any  thing  hke  the  proselyting  of  native 
Christians  from  other  Protestant  bodies— not 
only  because  it  would  occasion  much  hard 
feelino-  among  the  missionaries,  but  because 
it  might  encourage  persons  who  had  been 
disgraced  in  one  congregation  to  seek  refuge 
in  another.  Much  could  be  said  on  both 
sides  of  such  a  question,  and  it  is  one  about 
which  good  men  will  conscientiously  differ. 

It  had  been  a  favorite  plan  with  the  Jiishop 
to  establish  infant  schools  in  India,  as  being 
an  admirable  means  for  developing  the  na- 
tive mind  and  character.  Having  interested 
a  number  of  influential  men  in  the  enterprise, 
a  subscription  was  raised  of  live  tliousand 
rupees,  and  a  competent  master  and  mistress 
sent  for  from  England.  The  school  was  lirst 
opened,  in  1834:,  for  the  benefit  of  the  nomi 
nally  Christian  children  of  Portuguese  and 
East  Indian  descent,  and  every  thing  prom- 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  141 

ised  well.  The  Bishop  presided  at  a  public 
examination  which  was  held  in  the  Town 
Hall,  in  June  of  the  following  year,  inanj 
induential  natives  being  present,  and  express- 
ing themselves  as  greatly  delighted  with  the 
exercises. 

It  was  now  determined  to  open  a  school 
for  native  children,  to  be  under  the  care  of 
the  same  master  and  mistress  as  the  other 
school,  but  in  a  distinct  apartment.  In  four 
months'  time,  an  examination  of  native  chil- 
dren, from  two  to  seven  years  of  age,  was 
held,  a  large  audience  having  assen)bled  to 
witness  it.  One  Imndred  native  infants, 
clad  in  the  splendid  dresses  of  the  East,  and 
decked  with  the  ornauK'nts  of  tlie  harem, 
crowded  the  platform,  and  went  through  all 
the  exercises  usually  displayed  at  home. 
They  spoke  English  fluently,  sang  hymns, 
marched,  clapped  hands,  examined  one  an  • 
other,  showed  wonderful  intelligence,  and 
elicited  universal  admiration.  No  infant 
school  in  England  could  have  surpassed  these 
little  briglit-eyed,  dark-skinned  Indians.    The 


142  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    "VVILSOX. 

experiment  completely  answered.  The  Euro- 
pean gentry  were  charmed  ;  and  the  feeling 
amongst  the  natives,  generally,  may  be 
judged  of  by  an  extract  from  a  Bengalee 
newspaper  published  at  the  time.  Thus 
spake  the  editor  of  the  Gyananeshum  : 

"  On  Thursday  morning  a  meeting  of  the 
Infant  School  Society  was  held  in  the  Town 
Hall.  The  Lord  Bishop.  Sir  Edward  Ryan, 
Sir  Benjamin  Malkin,  Sir  J,  Grant,  Lady 
Ryan,  and  numerous  other  friends  of  educa- 
tion, of  both  sexes,  were  present.  After  the 
business  of  the  Society  had  been  transacted, 
the  boys  of  the  native  infant  school  were 
ushered  in.  They  were  about  a  hundred  in 
number.  The  postures  they  put  themselves 
into,  at  the  command  of  their  master,  were 
pretty  and  amusing.  They  sang  several 
English  songs,  and  kept  clap])ing  the  time 
in  good  order.  Tliey  astonished  the  audience 
by  the  expertness  with  which  they  answered 
questions  put  to  them  in  numeration,  addi- 
tion, the  tables  of  currency  in  this  country, 
etc.     All  this  was  done,  in  English,  bv  tiie 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    A^^L80N.  143 

Hindoo  children.  Tlie  audience  seemed  to 
he  much  gratified  at  their  progress.  The 
Lord  Bishop  took  particular  notice  of  the 
correctness  of  their  pronunciation,  which  he 
highly  eulogized." 

The  experiment  liaving  proved  a  complete 
succe  s,  tJie  Bishop  was  anxious  to  have  such 
schools  established  throughout  India,  and 
application  was  made  to  the  '^  Education 
Committee''  of  the  government  to  provide 
funds  for  the  purpose.  The  Committee  re- 
ceived the  proposition  with  many  gracious 
words,  and  for  three  years  nothing  was  done 
on  the  subject.  Meanwliile  the  native  school 
in  Calcutta  continued  to  prosper,  but  another 
generation  may  pass  away  before  the  many 
advantages  of  such  institutions  will  be  enjoy- 
ed throughout  the  Avidely  extended  bounda- 
ries of  India. 

But  it  was  not  only  in  religious  and  educa- 
tional matters  that  the  Bishop  exerted  him- 
self for  the  benefit  of  society.  Among  other 
subjects  which  engaged  his  attention  was 
that  of  steam  communication  between  Eno-- 


144  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

land  and  her  distant  provinces  in  the  East. 
In  1832  it  was  not  uncommon  for  a  letter  to 
be  one  hundred  and  seventy  or  eighty  days 
on  the  voyage,  a  most  imtbrtunate  delay  fur 
those  engaged  in  business,  and  most  painful 
to  kindred  and  friends  living  at  such  a  dis- 
tance apart. 

Bishop  Wilson  felt  that  by  .shortening  the 
long  intervals  of  correspondence,  the  general 
interests  of  India  would  Ite  mateiially  pro- 
moted, and  the  Gospel  extended  under  more 
favorable  auspices.  The  subject  had  been 
talked  about  for  some  time,  and  here  it 
seemed  likely  to  end,  until  he  came  to  the 
assistance  of  those  most  nearly  interested, 
when  a  feasible  plan  of  operations  was  imme- 
diately prepared  and  permanent  steps  taken. 
It  was  unusual,  indeed,  to  see  a  bishop  pre- 
siding over  a  public  meeting  where  such 
questions  were  discussed,  but  his  rare  gifts 
of  energy  and  decision,  tein})ered  by  j)ru- 
dence  and  common  sense,  were  too  much 
needed  at  such  a  time  to  permit  him  to  re- 
main inactive.     He  did   not  cease  to  exert 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    M'lLSON.  145 

himself  in  the  cause  until  the  distance  be- 
tween England  and  India  was  bridged,  as  it 
were,  by  those  splendid  Oriental  steamers 
which  have  done  so  much  to  soften  the  neces- 
sary pains  of  absence,  and  to  insure,  in  cases 
of  danger,  earnest  sympathy  and  prompt 
relief. 

In  October,  1833,  tidings  reached  India 
that  a  bill  had  been  brought  into  Parliament 
for  the  renewal  of  the  East  India  Company's 
charter,  wliich  also  empowered  the  king  to 
divide  the  diocese,  to  erect  Calcutta  into  a 
metropolitan  see,  and  to  appoint  two  !?utfra- 
gan  bishops  tor  Madras  and  Bombay.  While 
Bishop  "Wilson  was  ready  to  shrink  back  at 
the  bare  thought  of  the  responsibilities  which 
would  thus  be  laid  ujion  him,  his  heart  over- 
flowed with  thankfulness  at  the  brightening 
prospects  of  the  Church. 

"  How  can  I  tell  you  my  joy  at  the  pros- 
pect of  the  suffragan  bishops  I"  he  says,  in 
a  letter  to  an  old  friend.  "  How  I  labored 
that  plan  before  I  left  England,  in  June, 
1832 !  The  president,  the  chairman,  the 
13 


146  LIFE    OF    BISHOr    -WILSOX. 

Archbishop,  the  Bishop  of  London,  the  secre- 
tary of  the  Board — all  Avere  assailed  and 
urged  by  me  in  turns.  The  two  Mr.  Grants 
at  first  thought  the  wliolc  plan  iinpractical>le, 
but  ended  (after  three  months'  incessant 
drives,  and  comparisons  of  plans,  and  refer- 
ences, and  delays)  in  the  arrangement  of  a 
bill,  drawn  by  Mr.  Groom,  the  solicitor  of 
the  Board. 

"  Well  do  I  remember  Mr.  Sinjeon  saying, 
that  if  I  had  been  made  Bishop  of  Calcutta 
merely  to  carry  that  measure,  and  was  never 
to  reach  India,  I  should  have  done  a  great 
work.  My  disappointment,  of  course,  was 
the  more  keen  when  Dr.  Dealtry  sent  me 
word  last  August  that  it  had  been  found  im- 
practicable to  bring  in  the  bill  that  session ; 
for  on  the  Saturday,  June  Kith,  when  I  dined 
at  Mr.  Grant's,  the  first  thing  Earl  Grey  had 
said,  upon  my  being  introduced  to  him,  was, 
that  he  highly  approved  of  the  measure  as 
circulated  by  Mr.  Grant,  and  thought  it  very 
reasonable.  I  then  went  up  to  the  Bishop 
of  London,  and  with  joy  brought  him  to  the 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  147 

Prime  Minister,  when  he  confirmed  what  he 
before  had  said.  This  took  me  to  Mr.  Grant 
and  to  the  chairman,  to  express  my  gratitude 
and  delight.  I  conceived,  in  fact,  that  tlie 
thing  was  carried,  and  so  it  was ;  for  now  it 
is  inserted  in  the  charter  speech,  not  as  a 
matter  of  debate,  but  as  previously  arranged  ; 
and  probably  the  very  bill  drawn  and  ready 
in  June,  1832,  will  be  passed  now.  And 
how  greatly  are  my  joy  and  gratitude  to 
Providence  enhanced  by  the  very  delay  and 
disappointment !  Mr.  Grant's  speech  came 
upon  me  as  a  thunder-stroke.  I  wrote  off 
instantly  a  long  letter  imder  the  first  impulse 
of  joy.  I  have  now  heard  from  Dr.  Dealtry 
(June  23)  to  know  my  wishes  as  to  the  men. 
I  have  proposed  Archdeacon  Corrie  for  Ma- 
dras, Archdeacon  Robinson  for  Bombay,  and 
Archdeacon  Carr,  now  of  Bombay,  to  be,  by 
my  appointment,  Archdeacon  of  Calcutta, 
instead  of  Corrie. 

'•  I  am  advising  Corrie  to  proceed  to  En- 
gland instanter  for  consecration,  and  I  pro- 
pose to  meet  him,  on  his  return,  at  Madras, 


148  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

and  consecrate  (if  we  are  permitted)  Robin- 
son. 

"  My  soul  swells  with  thanksgivings  and 
praise  to  God  for  his  vast  mercy,  not  as  it 
respects  my  Episcopate,  but  the  permanent 
good  of  India.  But  I  fear  even  to  write  to 
you  of  these  feelings,  lest  I  should  grieve  the 
Holy  Comforter  ;  for  Satan's  grand  assault 
upon  my  mind  since  March  27th,  1832,  is 
elation,  joy,  natural  spirits,  eager  pursuit  of 
a  great  object,  a  soul  panting  to  stretch 
itself  to  the  length  and  breadth  of  my  vast 
diocese." 

The  bill  passed  Parliament  August  2l6t, 
1833,  and  reached  India  at  the  close  of  the 
year.  Considerable  delay  occurred  in  carry- 
ing out  its  provisions ;  for  the  expenditure 
sanctioned  for  the  whole  ecclesiastical  estab- 
lishment was  limited,  and  the  Archdeaconry 
of  Bombay  being  tilled  up,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  funds  did  not  at  once  admit  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  both  bishops.  Eventually, 
however,  all  came  round.  Archdeacon 
Corrie — one  of  those  men  whoso  praise  is  in 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  149 

all  the  churches,  and  whom  the  Bishop 
deemed,  for  meekness  and  gentleness  of 
spirit,  more  like  his  Divine  Master  than  any 
one  he  had  ever  known— was  recalled  from 
the  visitation  on  which,  with  proper  allow- 
ances, now  fur  the  first  time  obtained,  he 
hud  been  engaged,  and  sent  to  England.  He 
returned,  in  1S35,  Bishop  of  Madras.  The 
Archdeacon  of  Madras  retired  on  his  pension. 
Archdeacon  Carr  was  summoned  home  in 
1837,  and  returned  Bishop  of  Bombay. 

All  the  dioceses  were  then  filled,  and  a 
new  machinery  began  to  work.  It  formed  a 
precedent  of  vast  importance  for  a  spreading 
church,  and  has  been  followed,  both  in  Aus- 
tralia and  in  Africa.  They  also  have  now 
their  metropolitans  and  suftragans  ;  and 
if  ever,  in  the  providence  of  God,  these  great 
dependencies  are  separated  from  the  parent 
stock,  their  Church  will  still  retain  within 
itself  the  power  of  reproduction  and  indefi- 
nite expansion — still  be  enabled  to  put  forth 
great  branches,  and  bear  fruit  for  the  healing 
of  the  nations. 


19* 


Cljaptcr  0:lrljcutl]. 

THE  WANT  OF  SUITABLE   .^LACES   FOR    PUBLIC  WORSHIP 

A    FEASIBLE    FLAN    FOR     REMEDYING     THE     EVIL — ITS 

GRATIFYING  RESULTS A  KNOTTY  QUESTION  WHICH  LED 

TO  SOME  DIFFICULTIES — THE  BISHOP  LOSES  COSFIDKNCB 
IN  PUBLIC    MEN — PREPARATIONS    FOR  A  VISITATION    OF 

HIS    DIOCESE I1I3    FIRST    CHARGE    TO    THE    CI.EKOV 

DEPARTURE  FOR  PENANG — WHAT  HAPPENED  TIIKRK — 
A  FLOURISHING  NUTMEG  PLANTATION,  AND  ITS  CLER- 
ICAL OWNER — AN  AMUSING  INCIDENT — ARRIVAL  AT 
SINGAPORE — ITS  RELIGIOUS  DESTITUTION — SOME  IM- 
PORTANT STEPS  TAKEN — PRESBYTERIAN  SCRUPLES  RE- 
MOVED. 

HE  want  of  suitable  Imildings  for 
public  worship  had  long  been  felt 
in  India,  and  the  barrack  and 
Ccx^)^  the  ball-room  had  been  the  only 
places  which  could  be  secured  for 
the  purpose.  No  regular  plan  for 
remedying  the  evil  was  propo^e<l  until  1834, 
when  a  communication  appeared  in  the 
Christian  Intelligencer  (then  edited  in  Cal- 
cutta by  Bishop  "Wilson's  chaplain  and  son- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  151 

in-law),  suggesting  that  a  fund  should  be 
raised,  by  voluntary  subscriptions  through- 
out India,  of  one  rupee  a  montli — the  man- 
agement of  the  fmul  being  vested  in  the 
Bishop,  Archdeacon,  and  Presidency  chap- 
lain. 

This  plan,  with  tome  modifications,  was 
speedily  carried  into  eftect,  and  its  results 
may  be  gatliered  fioni  a  brief  extract  from  a 
report  published  in  1857:  "There  are  now 
one  hundred  and  twenty  churches  in  this 
diocese  (Calcutta),  including  those  in  the 
course  of  erection  ;  and  to  sixty-six  of  these 
has  this  'One-Rupee-Subscription  Fund' 
contributed,  since  its  commencement  in 
1834,  sums  amounting  to  eighty-one  thou- 
sand seven  hundred  and  thirty-eight  rupees." 

During  all  the  time  which  had  elapsed 
since  the  Bishop's  coming  to  India,  we  must 
imagine  him  taking  exercise  every  morning 
on  horseback,  usually  in  company  with  Lord 
William,  and  discussing  important  questions 
of  Church  and  State,  as  usual.  The  relation 
of  the  chaplains  to  the  Government  and  the 


152  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

Bishop  was  one  of  these,  and  it  had  caused 
no  little  disturbance  and  anxiety. 

Having  been  formally  requested  by  the 
Government  to  define  the  duties  of  chaplains 
at  military  stations,  and  to  give  his  opinion 
as  to  the  degree  of  authority  which  it  was 
proper  for  the  commanding  officer  to  exer- 
cise at  such  stations,  he  acceded  to  the  re- 
quest according  to  his  best  judgment,  the 
Governor-General  fully  agreeing  with  him  in 
his  decision.  And  yet,  strange  to  say,  when 
Lord  William  published  his  otlicial  orders, 
not  long  afterwards,  he  took  entirely  different 
ground.  The  Bishop  could  liardly  believe 
his  eyes  when  he  read  the  paper,  but  after 
having  appealed,  in  several  able  letters,  fmm 
the  decision  which  had  been  made,  he  sub- 
mitted as  patiently  as  he  could.  Few  under- 
stood how  deeply  his  feelings  had  been 
wounded,  and  how  much  his  confidence  in 
public  men  had  been  impaired.  Ilis  private 
notes,  however,  make  some  disclosures.  He 
thus  writes : 

"  If,  after   consulting  a  bishop  as   to  the 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  153 

relative  position  of  military  officers  and  chap- 
lains, and  agreeing  solemnly  with  the  ex- 
planations given,  the  Government  can  then 
publish  orders-  in  contradiction  to  that  ex- 
planation, and  their  own  avowed  pledge  of 
concurrence  ;  if  they  do  this  without  inform- 
ing the  Bishop  ;  if  they  do  it  after  having 
communicated  other  points  of  difference,  hut 
concealed  tiiis,  what  can  a  bishop  do  or  hope 
for?  Where  is  faith  or  trustworthiness  to 
be  found  ? 

"  But,  hush,  my  soul !  Silence  thy  human 
reasonings  and  carnal  complaints  I  This  is 
Thy  hand,  O  my  God !  and  Thou,  Lord, 
hast  done  it.  Is  it  not  by  Thy  permission, 
and  for  the  spiritual  humiliation  of  the 
Christian,  that  the  events  of  this  world  take 
place  ?  Before  Thy  righteousness  I  desire  to 
bow,  trusting  that  Thou  canst  reverse  these 
evils,  if  for  our  real  and  highest  good,  and 
believing  that  Thou  art  calling  on  us  to 
cease  from  man  and  creature  props,  and  to 
rest  ourselves  entirely  and  unreservedly  on 
Thy  Almighty  Arm." 


154  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

The  climate  of  India  and  the  pressure  of 
business  were  producing  tlieir  effect  upon  tlje 
Bishop's  health,  and  he  was  liy  no  means 
sorry  when  the  two  years  were  ended,  and 
he  could  enter  upon  a  visitation  of  liis  exten- 
sive diocese.  The  serious  illness  of  his 
daughter,  which  rendered  a  sea  voyage  indis- 
pensable, increased  his  anxiety  to  leave  Cal- 
cutta, and  he  accordingly  requested  that  a 
vessel  might  be  provided  for  conveying  him- 
self and  his  suite  to  the  various  settlements 
on  the  eastern  coast,  and  thence  across  the 
Bay  of  Bengal  to  Madras  and  Ceylon. 

The  primary  visitation  was  held  in  the 
cathedral,  at  Calcutta,  on  tlie  13th  of  August, 
1834,  twenty-one  clergymen  being  present, 
when  the  Bishop  delivered  his  charge,  which 
had  occupied  his  attention  for  several  months 
past.  When  his  reverend  brethren  gathered 
about  liijii,  he  commenced  his  address  by 
saying,  "That  in  tlie  short  space  of  twelve 
or  thirteen  years  a  fifth  bishop  of  Calcutta 
should  be  addressing  his  reverend  brethren 
from  this  chair,  is  a  most  affecting  memorial 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  155 

of  the  uncertainty  of  life,  and  of  the  mys- 
teries of  the  Divine  judgments.     As  to  man, 
all  is  weakness  and  change.     The  pastoral 
staff  drops  from  the  hand  before  it  is  grasped. 
Measures  are  broken  off  in  the  midst ;  and 
we  nmst  look  to  the  mercy  of  God  alone  for 
the    settlement    and    future    safety   of    our 
apostolical  branch  of  Christ's  holy  Catholic 
Church  in  India."     His  feelings  were  over- 
powered ;  all   the   circumstances  connecting 
together  the  past  and  the  present  seemed  to 
rush  upon  his  mind;  his  voice  faltered;  he 
paused  in  deep  emotion,  and  was  a  consider- 
able time  ere  he  could  resume  his  self-com- 
mand.    Then,    continuing    his    address,   he 
riveted  the  attention  of  all  his  hearers,  and 
sympathy  gave  place  to  a  feeling  of  deep 
,  solemnity. 

'     The  statistical  part  of  the  address  showed 
a  considerable  improvement  in  Church  affairs 

in  India. 

After  the  close  of  this  interesting  assembly, 
the  Bishop  delivered  a  farewell  sermon  at  the 
cathedral,   and  early  on   Monday  morning, 


156  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

August  24th,  he  embarked,  under  the  usual 
salute,  and  went  forth  on  his  first  visitation. 
The  passage  to  Penang  was  prolonged  by 
adverse  winds,  and  was  rendered  more  anx- 
ious by  the  continued  ill  health  of  his  daugh- 
ter; but  on  the  19th  of  September  the  vessel 
glided  into  the  roadstead  formed  by  the  island 
of  Penang  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Queda 
Country  on  the  other. 

The  Bishop  and  his  party  landed  inuiiodi- 
ately,  and  were  hospitably  received  and  shel- 
tered in  the  house  of  Sir  Benjamin  Malkin, 
the  Judge  and  Keeorder  of  the  Si  rait:?. 
Nothing  could  exceed  the  kindness  mani- 
fested by  himself  and  his  excellent  lady  dur- 
ino-  the  whole  of  the  Bishop's  stay  ;  and  after 
he  left,  his  daughter,  having  derived  no  ben- 
efit from  the  sea  voyage,  and  being  unable  to 
continue  it,  found  there  a  home  for  numy 
months,  and  remained  until  increasing  illness 
compelled  a  permanent  return  to  England. 

The  real  business  of  the  visitation  soon 
be^^an,  and  all  that  could  be  done  the  Bishop 
did.     The  chaplain  was  first  visited   in  his 


LIFE   OF   BISnOP    AVILSON.  157 

parsonage,  and  the  Bishop  looked  grave 
when  lie  found  attached  to  it  a  flourishing 
nutmeg  plantation.  Words  ot*  caution  only 
Mclc  spoken  now,  but  the  pursuit  was  after- 
wards forbidden. 

The  colonel  in  command  at  the  station, 
wishing  to  show  the  Bishop  all  possible 
respect,  proposed  that  the  troops  should  pass 
in  review  before  him,  which  was  accordingly 
done.  This  is  rather  amusing  to  think  of, 
but  it  was  meant  in  kindness,  and  it  was  so 
received.  Having  visited  the  schools  and 
hospitals,  preached  three  times,  confirmed 
forty-eight  persons,  and  administered  the 
Lord's  Supper,  he  took  his  leave  and  em- 
barked for  Singapore.  This  is  a  free  port, 
to  which  merchants  of  all  nations  had  access, 
and  the  place  had  neither  been  famed  for 
morality  nor  honesty.  As  no  church  had 
hitherto  been  built,  and  religious  services 
were  not  celebrated  with  any  regularity,  the 
Bishop  was  very  desirous  to  take  prompt 
measures  for  establishing  a  better  state  of 
things.  He  landed  on  Saturday  night,  and 
14 


158  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSr)N. 

sent  around  notice  of  Divine  service  and  the 
Holy  Communion  for  the  following  morning, 
and  of  a  public  meeting  for  Monday.  The 
attendance  on  the  Sunday  service  was  large, 
and  all  the  influential  people  in  the  settle- 
ment met  on  Monday  morning,  to  discuss 
the  propriety  of  building  a  church.  The 
Bishop  presided,  by  their  request,  and  sub- 
mitted a  plan  for  raisiiig  funds,  which  was 
speedily  adopted,  and  three  thousand  dollars 
were  subscribed  before  the  adjournment  of 
the  meeting. 

The  young  persons  who  were  desirous  of 
Confirmation  were  then  called  together,  and 
examined  and  instructed.  A  good  many  of 
them  having  been  brought  up  Presbyterians, 
had  some  objection  to  the  reference  in  the 
preface  to  the  Confirmation  office  to  god- 
fathers and  godmothers.  The  Bishop  decided 
that,  in  all  such  cases,  the  natural  parents 
stood  to  their  children  in  God's  stead ;  and 
that  this  being,  previously  understood  and 
allowed  on  both  sides,  they  might  answer 
conscientiously,  and  he  confirm  willingly. 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 


159 


He  then  addressed  them  earnestly  upon 
the  point  of  dedication  to  God,  and  on  the 
appointed  day  administered  the  rite. 

Having  consecrated  the  church-yard,  and 
encouraged  the  building  committee  to  go  on 
witli  their  work,  the  first  Episcopal  visit  ever 
paid  to  Singapore  was  brought  to  a  close. 


Cbapttr  f  iuclftlr. 


MALACCA    CAUGDT    NAPPING RESULT    OF    THE    BISHOPS 

VISITATION — MOCLMEIN — YELLOW    ROBES  AND  SHAVEN 

HEADS — HOPEFIL     PROSPECTS SPICY     BREEZES     FROM 

CEYLON THREE  WEEKS  OF  CONSTANT  LABOR DAN- 
GEROUS PASSAGE  TO  MADRAS — NARROW  ESCAPE  FROM 
SHll'WRECK — AN  ESPECIAL  ERRAND,  AND  NOT  A  PLEA- 
SANT ONE — THE  CASTE  QUESTION — NO  MORE  HALF- 
WAY MEASURES — WINNOWING  THE  CHAFF  FROM  THE 
■WHEAT — TIME-SEUVING    POLICY    OF    THE    GOVERNMENT 

PROCEEDS    TO  TANJOBE "  THE    TRACK  OF  THE  HOLY 

AND  BELOVED  HEBER" — RECEPTION  AT  TANJORE — THB 
OLD    NATIVE    PRIEST — SECRET    ASPIRATIONS. 


N  the  night  of  October  10th  Bisliop 
Wilson  landed  at  Malacca,  and  sought 
shelter  in  the  old  white  Stadt-hoiise, 
no  one  being  there  to  -welcome  or  to 
entertain  him.  "  From  the  sublime 
to  the  ridiculous  there  is  but  a  step," 
he  said,  with  great  good-humor,  as  he  seated 
himself  upon  an  euip  y  box;  and  the  next 
morning,  with  his  u>ual  energy,  all  necessary 
arrangements  for  the  visitation  were  made. 
Divine   service    was   celebrated    in    the  old 


LITE    OF    BISHOP    "WILSON.  161 

Dutch  church,  which  the  trustees  kindly 
offered  to  transfer  to  the  Bishop  if  he  would 
consecrate  it,  and  secure  the  appointment  of 
a  chaplain.  lie  promised  to  do  his  best  to 
obtain  a  clergyman  for  them,  appointed  a 
candidate  for  Holy  Orders,  as  lay-reader,  but 
deferred  the  consecration  of  the  building 
until  a  chaplain  had  been  sent.  Twenty-nine 
were  confirmed,  and  thirty- one  communi- 
cated ;  and  after  bidding  the  people  an  affec- 
tionate farewell,  he  writes  home  in  regard  to 
Malacca ; 

"  God  grant  that  the  spices  and  fragrance 
of  grace  and  holiness  may  equal  the  exqui&ite 
odors  of  this  place.  But  one  feels  horrified 
to  think  that  we  are  in  the  midst  of  pirates, 
murderers,  and  opium  caters — men  of  fierce 
and  barbarous  usages  beyond  conception. 
Oh,  what  Avould  not  Christianity  do  for  these 
poor  creatures  !  It  is  a  comfort  to  think  that 
the  rule  of  England  is  merciful  and  bene- 
ficial compared  with  that  of  the  Malays, 
Mohammedans,  Portuguese,  or  even  the 
Dutch,  imperfect  as  our  Government  is. 
14* 


162  LITE   OF   BISnOP    -VTILSON. 

May  the  spirit  of  real  piety  and  zeal  fill  our 
rulers  more  and  more !  I  am  sure  the 
Bishop  has  enough  to  do,  as  well  a^^  the 
clergy,  in  beginning  every  thing  ariglit." 

The  steamer  now  turned  her  course  to- 
wards Moulmein,  and  here  it  occurs  to  me 
to  recommend  the  reader  to  open  a  map  of 
Asia,  and  follow  the  Bishop  in  his  journey- 
ings. 

All  was  new  and  strange  in  Moulmein, 
which  was  part  of  the  territory  cedrd  to  the 
English  in  the  last  war.  Pagan  priests  with 
flowing  yellow  robes  and  shaven  heads 
were  numerous,  and  idols  of  gigantic  size 
sat  in  the  temidos  which  had  been  erected  for 
their  worship.  A  large  body  of  English 
troops  were  tlien  stationed  in  Moulmein,  and 
many  distinguished  othcers. 

Mr.  Hamilton,  the  chaplain,  assisted  in 
making  arrangements  for  the  Bishop's  visit- 
ation, which  included  an  inspection  of  tlie 
schools  and  hospitals,  the  consecration  of  a 
handsome  Gothic  church,  and  the  adminis- 
tration  of  the  rite  of  the  "  Laying  On  of 


LITE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  163 

Hands."     On  the  2Sth  of  October  the  Bishop 
took  his  leave. 

"  I  have  been  linishing,"  he  says,  "  the 
last  Sunday  of  my  second  year's  residence  in 
India  by  preaching  my  hundred  and  fifty- 
second  sermon,  before  five  or  six  hundred 
persons  of  all  ranks,  in  the  newly  consecrated 
church  of  Moulmein.  It  is  a  beautiful  struc- 
ture, just  such  as  Augustine  built  in  England 
at  the  conversion  of  the  larger  cities  towards 
the  end  of  the  sixth  century.  AVe  have  been 
proclaiming  the  Gospel  in  the  Burman 
Empire,  with  Cliina  on  one  side  and  India 
on  the  other ;  lihud  and  his  monstrous 
fables  deceiving  four  hundred  millions  on 
our  right  ;  and  Brahma  with  his  metaphys- 
ical atheism  chaining  down  one  hundred 
millions  on  our  left ;  whilst  the  base  impos- 
tor Mohammed  rages  against  the  Deity  and 
Sacrifice  of  the  blessed  Saviour  in  the  midst 
of  both,  witli  ten  or  twenty'  millions  of  fol- 
lowers. But  our  DrvixE  Lord  shall  ere  long 
reign  ;  and  Bhuddist,  and  Brahminist,  and 
Mohammedan — yea,  tlie  infidel,  and  papist, 


164  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   ^^^L60N. 

and  nominal  Christian  throughout  Asia,  shall 
unite  in  adoring  His  cross." 

On  the  7th  of  November  the  Bishop  was 
regaled  with  the  sweet  breezes  from  the  cin- 
namon  groves  of  Ceylon,  and  a  new  and 
beautiful  scene  was  unveiled  before  him. 
But  he  had  something  to  do  besides  inhaling 
fragrant  odors  and  admiring  lovely  sccncr}'. 
Many  urgent  matters  pressed  for  settlement, 
misunderstandings  between  the  higliest  au- 
thorities  of  Church  and  State  must  be  exam- 
ined into  ;  disunion  among  the  clergy  must 
be  healed  ;  learned  oontrovei*sies  in  regard  to 
two  diflerent  versions  of  the  Bible  into 
Cingalese  must  be  listened  to,  and  a  final  de- 
cision made — all  this,  and  more,  came  upon 
the  Bishop  at  the  very  beginning  of  his  visit- 
ation. He  exercised  a  sound  discretion  in 
the  settlement  of  every  difficulty,  and  if  all 
parties  were  not  satisfied,  none  could  censure 
him  for  showing  an  undue  bias  to  either 
side. 

On  Sunday,  he  preached  to  an  overflowing 
congregation,    in   the   Fort   church,  and   on 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  165 

Tuesday  confirmed  one  hundred  and  eight 
young  persons,  the  words  and  final  blessing 
being  repeated  in  English,  Cingalese,  Por- 
tuguese, and  Tamul. 

On  Tuesday  the  Bishop  held  his  visitation 
and  delivered  his  charge  to  the  clergy. 
These  multiplied  engagements  were  varied 
by  a  visit  to  the  Church  Missionary  Institu- 
tion at  Cotta,  wliich  he  thus  describes  :  "  1 
must  tell  you  of  the  exquisite  drive  we  have 
had  through  the  cinnamon  gardens  for  five 
miles.  Kotliing  since  the  garden  of  Eden 
was  so  beautiful — a  vast  field  of  green  fra- 
grant bush,  with  every  fibre  and  branch 
bursting  with  cinnamon.  But  even  this 
extraordinary  scene  yields  to  tlie  moral  fra- 
grance of  this  dear  missionary  station  of 
Cotta,  now  numbering  twelve  out-stations, 
four  clergymen,  twenty-one  native  teachers, 
six  hundred  average  attendants  on  public 
worship,  twenty-one  communicants,  nineteen 
seminarists,  sixteen  schools,  and  four  hun- 
dred and  thirty  scholars.  Our  honored  Mr. 
Lambrick,  after  eighteen  years  of  steady  and 


166  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

holy  labor,  presides  over  the  whole.  "Will 
you  believe  that  I  have  been  examining 
native  youth  in  the  English  Scriptui-es, 
geography,  history,  astronomy,  mathematics, 
Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  ?" 

Fifty-five  young  natives  were  confirmed 
here.  Having  made  an  excursion  to  Kandy, 
the  ancient  capital  of  the  island,  where 
Bhuddism  was  seen  in  one  of  its  strong- 
holds, and  a  faithful  missionary  was  cheered 
ill  the  midst  of  discouraging  labors,  the 
Bishop  returned  to  Colombo  on  the  18th  of 
]S^ovember,  in  time  to  examine  the  candi- 
dates for  Holy  Orders.  Three  days  after 
wards,  the  ordination  was  held,  and  soon  he 
was  under  way  for  Matura  and  Trincomalee. 
At  the  latter  place,  the  visitation  of  Ceylon 
ended,  liaving  cost  three  weeks  of  incessant 
labor. 

In  his  passage  to  Madras,  the  Bishop 
barely  escaped  from  death,  through  the 
mercy  of  Him  who  can  rule  the  raging  of  the 
sea.  The  condition  of  the  poor,  worn-out 
vessel  was  so  perilous,  that  the  captain  cried 


LIFE   OF    BISHOP    AVILSOX.  167 

out  in  despair,  "  I  can  do  no  more  ;  tell  the 
Bishop  he  had  better  go  to  prayers."  Al- 
most overcome  with  fatigue  and  sea-sickness, 
the  good  man  obeyed  the  summons,  and  hav- 
ing read  St.  Paul's  account  of  his  shipwreck 
(Acts  xxvii.  13-36),  his  voice  being  well- 
nigh  drowned  by  tlie  groaning  of  the  ship 
and  the  noise  of  the  waves,  he  called  upon 
the  Lord  to  deliver  them .  The  Almighty,  who 
hears  the  supplications  of  His  servants,  made 
the  storm  to  cease. 

At  day-dawn,  December  10th,  they  landed 
at  Madras.  The  Bishop  had  come  here  on 
an  especial  errand,  and  he  had  looked  for- 
ward with  much  anxiety  to  the  results  of 
this  visit.  "  The  Caste  question"  had  been 
the  occasion  of  many  difficulties  in  this  por- 
tion of  the  missionary  lield,  and  it  was  con- 
cerning these  that  prompt  measures  were 
now  to  be  taken. 

"We  can  only  explain,  very  briefly,  that 
while  in  Bengal,  and  elsewhere,  the  natives 
who  embraced  Christianity  had  been  obliged 
to  give  up  all  connection  with  idolatry  and 


168  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

its  usages,  greater  liberty  had  improperly 
been  granted  to  the  converts  in  Soutliern 
India,  wlileh  had  allowed  half  tlie  evils  of 
Paganism  to  be  retained  under  tlie  name 
of  Christianity.  The  old  distinctions  of 
caste  were  so  far  preserved  as  to  mar  the 
solemnities  of  public  worsliip,  and  to  engen- 
der envy,  hatred,  and  pride — and  all  this  had 
been  winked  at  for  years,  le&t  any  interference 
on  the  part  of  the  missionaries  should  alien- 
ate larire  numbers  of  their  confjreirations. 

Bishop  Wilson  was  well  informed  in  re- 
gard to  these  things,  and  rejecting  all  timid 
counsels  and  time- serving  compromises,  he 
looked  at  the  question  simply  as  a  matter  of 
right  or  wrong,  and  acted  accordingly.  In 
the  summer  of  1S33  he  addressed  an  earnest 
letter  on  the  subject  to  the  missionaries 
througlioiit  his  diocese,  in  tiie  course  of 
which  he  takes  the  following  decided  posi- 
tions : 

"  1.  The  catechumens  preparing  /or  bap- 
tism must  be  informed  by  you  of  the  Bishop's 
decision,  and  must  be  gently  and    tenderly 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  169 

advised  to  submit  to  it.  Of  course,  the  min- 
ister informs  tlie  Bishop  or  Archdeacon  a 
week  previously  to  the  intended  baptism  of 
each  convert,  agreeably  to  the  directions 
given  by  my  honored  predecessor,  in  his 
charge  delivered  at  Madras,  in  November, 
1830;  and  this  will  afford  opportunity  for 
each  particular  case  being  well  considered. 

"2.  The  children  of  native  Christians  will, 
in  the  next  place,  not  be  admitted  to  the 
Holy  Communion  witiiout  this  renunciation 
of  castes;  their  previous  education  being 
directed  duly  to  this,  amongst  other  duties 
of  the  Christian  religion,  no  material  diffi- 
culties will,  as  1  trust,  arise  here. 

"3.  With  respect  to  tlie  adult  Christians 
already  admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion,  I 
should  recommend  that  their  prejudices  and 
habits  be  so  far  consulted  as  not  to  insist  on 
an  open,  direct  renunciation  of  caste.  The 
execution  of  the  award  in  the  case  of  all  new 
converts  and  comnmnicants  will  speedily 
wear  out  the  practice. 

"  4.  In  the  mean  time,  it  may  suffice  that 
15 


170  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

overt  acts,  which  spring  from  the  distinction 
of  castes,  be  at  once  and  finally  discontinued 
in  the  church;  whether  places  in  the  church 
be  concerned,  or  the  manner  of  approach  lo 
the  Lord's  table,  or  processions  in  marriages, 
or  marks  on  the  forehead  made  with  paint  or 
mixtures,  or  diiferences  of  food  and  dress — 
whatever  be  the  overt  acts,  they  nmst,  in  the 
church,  and  so  far  as  the  influence  of  minis- 
ters goes,  be  at  once  abandoned." 

The  circulation  of  this  letter  produced  a 
great  sensation.  Many  of  the  native  converts 
went  back  to  their  old  ways,  and  congrega- 
tions which  had  been  large  and  flourishing 
were  suddenly  reduced  lo  a  mere  handful. 
It  was  a  thorough  winnowing  of  the  chaff 
from  the  wheat.  The  Bishop  was  duly  in- 
formed of  all  that  occurred,  and  his  advice 
was  freely  given  in  all  cases  of  perplexity. 
His  difliculties  were  greatly  increased  by  the 
cowardly  policy  of  the  Goverumeat,  which 
was  disjtosed  to  yield  to  the  remonstrances 
of  the  natives,  and  to  sufler  matters  to  fall 
back  into  their  former  state.    Surely,  England 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  1/1 

paid  dearly,  at  a  more  recent  day,  for  her 
unfaithfulness  towards  India,  and  her  count- 
less children  sunk  in  ignorance  and  degrada- 
tion ! 

Bishop  Wilson  was  not  a  man  to  falter  in 
the  di-.charge  of  a  plain  duty,  and  he  was 
determined  to  abide  by  the  decision  which 
he  had  given.     While  he  remained  at  Ma- 
dras, he  delivered  sixteen  sermons  and  ad- 
dresses, confirmed  six  hundred  and  seventeen, 
and  delivered  his  charge  to  the  clergy,  be- 
sides attending  several  committee  meetings  of 
different  religious  bodies.     He  also  preached 
twice  in  the  church  of  the  native  Christians 
of  Yepery ;    and    ahhough   to    all    outward 
appearances  a  stranger  would  have  been  well 
pleased  with  their  orderly  and  reverent  be- 
havior, one  more  familiar  with  them  could 
not  fail  to  have  observed  the  old  distinction 
of  caste  in  as  active  operation  as  before.     Tlie 
Bishop  concluded  to  do  nothing  more  to  re- 
strain this  evil  until  his  return  from  Tanjore. 
Towards  that  place  he  now  hastened,  treading 
in  the  steps  of  his  predecessor,  and  accompa- 


172  LIFE    OF   BISilOP   WILSON. 

nied  by  Archdeacon  Itobinson,  whose  society 
was  as  pleasant  as  his  experience  was  valu- 
able. Madras  was  left  on  December  29th, 
and  on  the  31st,  at  Atcherawauk,  the  follow- 
ing words  were  written  : 

*'  Our  ten  miles'  march  is  over,  out  of 
wliich  I  rode  four  on  my  Pegu  pony.  The 
close  of  another  year  calls  to  consideration 
of  the  end  of  life,  usefulness,  projects,  de- 
signs. The  track  of  the  holy  and  beloved 
Heber  is  solemn  and  aflecting  indeed.  Poor 
fellow !  Tlie  thermometer,  as  he  joui-neyed, 
sometimes  stood  at  112  degrees;  and  even  in 
his  tent,  the  Archdeacon  who  accompanied 
him  says  they  could  not  get  it  lower  than 
97  degrees.  It  was  the  very  wcrst  seat^on 
of  the  year  for  the  fcoiith  (^March  to  April, 
1826).  Sir  Thomas  Monro  again  and  again 
warned  him  that  the  end  of  January  was  tlie 
last  moment  he  should  have  left  Madras. 
God's  holy  will,  however,  is  thus  accom- 
plished in  us  and  in  the  Church.  Two  things 
strike  me:  (1)  Bishop,  lleber's  budden  death 
was  necessary  to  seal  his  doctrine,  to  awaken 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  173 

all  India,  to  turn  his  astonishing  popularity 
and  loveableness  into  an  attachment  to  the 
cansu  in  which  he  died,  to  fix  England  and 
India  in  one  gaze  of  interest.  (2)  His  death, 
after  two  and  a  half  years  of  residence  and 
journeys,  saved  him  all  the  odium,  misrepre- 
senta!ii)n,  conflict  witii  the  worldly,  envy  of 
the  wicked,  and  jarring  with  religious  socie- 
ties. All  was  thus  couleiir  de  rose  ^  and  as 
to  influence  after  his  decease,  he  died  at  the 
exact  moment." 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  10th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1835,  the  Bishop  esj)ied  the  pagodas  of 
Tanjore ;  and  at  a  ford  over  one  of  the 
brandies  of  the  river  Caverv  a  large  number 
of  native  Christians  and  school-children  were 
assembled.  The  venerable  missionary  Kohl- 
hoff  was  at  their  head,  and  crowds  of  heathen 
stood  around.  The  river  was  soon  crossed, 
and  the  Bishop  immediately  alighted  from 
his  palanquin  ;  but  before  he  could  salu'.e 
them,  a  hymn  of  praise  rose  on  the  morning 
air,  sounding  most  sweet  from  native  tongue?. 
When  it  was  ended,  mutual  greetings  were 

1  r  * 
iO" 


174  MFE    OF    HTSnor    WIL80N. 

interchanged.  The  native  priest  Nyanapra- 
gasen  (the  efl'ulgence  of  glory),  eighty-three 
years  of  age,  drew  near  and  Avas  presented, 
llis  long  white  robe,  comhining  in  om;  gar- 
ment l)0th  gown  and  caesock,  liainionizcd 
well  witli  the  snowy  hair  falling  on  liis 
shoulilors,  and  gave  iiini  a  most  vcni'ialile 
appearance,  lie  took  the  liiishop's  ollLTed 
hand  between  both  of  his,  and  blessed  iind 
for  bringing  liini  amongst  them,  adding  a 
hope,  that  as  Elijah  brought  back  tlie  stift- 
necked  Israelites  to  God,  so  he  might  over- 
come the  obstinacy  of  this  people. 

After  a  few  more  kind  words,  tlie  Bisliop 
bade  them  farewell,  and  hastened  on  to  the 
Residency,  where  Colonel  Macleane  and  his 
admirable  family  were  ready  to  receive  and 
entertain  him. 

"  Here  I  am,  entering  into  this  once  flour- 
ishing Church,  O  Lord,  in  Thy  name,  and 
with  a  single  eye  to  Thy  glory  and  the  jmrity 
of  Thy  Go8i)el  over  all  India.  (irant  me 
Thy  meekness,  Thy  wisdom.  Thy  lirmness, 
Thy  fortitude,  Thy  discretion.  Thine  address 


LIFE    OF    BISnOP    WILSON.  175 

in  treating  with  men.  To  Thee  do  I  look  up. 
As  to  myself  and  Imiiiaii  power,  my  heart 
faileth  me.  For  what  can  I  do  with  seven- 
teen hundred  revolters  and  ten  thousand  un- 
informed and  prejudiced  Christians?  Lord, 
undertake  for  me." 

Such  were  the  first  secret  aspirations  of  his 
soul.  We  must  leave  further  particulars  for 
the  next  chapter. 


Oaptcr  f  Irirttcntb. 


MOST   rNPBOMISINO  COSDITION  OF  AFFAIRS LOOKING  TO 

GOD  FOR  HELP — SWAItTz's  GRATE — INTERESTING  6KB- 
VICES — EFFOICTS  TO  DRING  THE  NATIVE  CHRISTIANS  TO 
A  BETTER  MIND JkURNET  TO  TRICHINOroLT — SER- 
VICES IN  THE  MISSION  CHCKCH — BISHOP  IIF.BER — THK 
CASTE  QUESTION  AGAIN — MEETING  THE  DIFFICULTT 
BOLDLY — SOME  CHANGES  FOR  THE  BETTER — ORDINA- 
TION    AT     TANJORE — A     RALLYING     POINT     GAINED 

HAPPY   SIX    MONTHS — SAFE    ARRIVAL    AT   CALCUTTA. 

F FAIRS  at  Tanjore  were  in  a  most 
unsettled  condition.  Large  iiuin- 
bers  of  na'.ive  Christians  had  re- 
fused to  submit  to  the  Bishop's 
decision  in  regard  to  foi-saking  their 
old  pagan  rules  of  caste,  and  the 
state  of  morals  was  deplorable.  The  mission- 
aries had  become  extremely  unpopular,  and 
every  thing  was  as  un])roiiii5>ing  as  it  well 
could  be.  Refuge  was  sought  in  God,  as  the 
only  hope,  and  the  Bishop  prayed  most  earn- 
estly that  he  might  be  guided  to  do  what 
was  for  the  leal  good  of  the  Church.     Ilav- 


LIFE    OF    RISIIOl*    WILSON.  177 

ing  held  several  conferences  with  some  of  the 
native  priests,  catechists,  and  others,  he  in- 
vited them  all  to  attend  service  on  Sunday, 
and  they  promised  to  do  so,  if  they  could  sit 
according  to  their  former  arrangement  of 
caste.  Permission  was  given  tliem,  on  this 
occasion,  to  follow  their  own  inclinations. 

On  Sunday,  the  Bishop  preached  in  the 
morning  to  the  English  congregation.  Di- 
vine service  was  held  in  the  Mission  church 
• — a  hallowed  spot,  where  Swartz  and  other 
venerable  men  had  ministered  throuirh  life, 
and  found  a  resting-place  at  death  ;  where 
many  souls,  rescued  from  heathenism,  had 
been  added  unto  the  Lord  ;  and  where  some 
of  Heber's  last  loving  words  had  been  spoken. 

In  the  evening,  fi-om  the  same  place,  the 
native  Christians  were  addressed.  The  ser- 
vice, necessarily,  was  in  Tamul,  and  young 
Mr.  Com  merer,  who  was  a  catechist,  and 
spoke  it  admirably,  acted  as  the  Bishop's 
interpreter.  Seven  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons were  counted,  sitting,  after  their  man- 
ner,  on   the  floor  of  the  church,  of  whom 


178  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

more  than  three  hundred  were  Soodra  men 
and  women  ;  whilst  uncounted  crowds  stood 
round  the  doors  and  windows. 

The  Bishop's  text  was,  '•  Walk  in  love,  as 
Christ  also  loved  us;"  and  he  dwelt  upon 
two  points— the  love  of  Christ  to  us,  and  our 
love  to  one  another,  lie  was  very  aflec- 
tionate  and  very  earnest,  and  the  etiect  was 
perceptible,  the  whole  congregation  was 
moved.  Towards  the  conclusion,  he  dwelt 
upon  the  character  of  the  "  Good  Samaritan,'' 
as  illustrative  of  the  love  we  should  bear  to 
one  another.  He  described  the  meeting 
with  the  "  certain  man"  of  the  parable  ;  the 
seeing  him  in  distress ;  not  asking  him  who 
he  was  ;  not  dreaming  of  defilement  by  con- 
tact with  him  ;  but  meeting  the  present 
duty  ;  pouring  in  oil  and  wine  ;  putting  him 
on  his  own  beast ;  taking  care  of  him  ;  and 
nil  because  he  was  in  distress,  and  because 
lie  was  a  neighbor. 

"  And  what,"  asked  the  Bishop,  rising 
from  his  seat,  and  with  outstretched  arms 
bcndino-   over   the   congregation    which    sat 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  179 

beneath  him,  "  what  did  our  blessed  Master 
and  Saviour  say  concerning  this  ?  What 
was  his  doctrine  ?  What  was  his  command  ? 
What  were  his  words  i  Go  and  Do  Thou 
Likewise  !" 

A  long  pause  of  motionless  and  breathless 
silence  followed,  broken  only  when  he  be- 
sought every  one  present  to  offer  up  this 
prayer :  "  Lord,  give  me  a  broken  heart,  to 
receive  the  love  of  Christ  and  obey  his  com- 
mands." Whilst  the  whole  congregation 
were  repeating  these  words  aloud  in  Tamul, 
he  bowed  upon  the  cushion,  doubtless  en- 
treating help  from  God,  and  then  dismissed 
them  with  his  blessing. 

On  Monday  the  Mission  churches  and 
buildings  were  inspected  ;  the  room  in  which 
Swartz  died,  and  all  the  other  places  of  in- 
terest, were  visited  ;  and  then  another  con- 
ference was  held,  at  which  it  was  resolved  to 
invite  all  native  Christians,  who  might  wish 
it,  to  private  conversation,  affording  thus  an 
opportunity  to  hear  their  difficulties,  and 
help  in  their  removal.     Time  would  fail  us 


180  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

to  give  even  an  outline  of  all  the  efforts 
which  were  made  to  bring  the  unhappy 
people  to  a  better  mind.  The  native  Chris- 
tians were  in  sore  perplexity.  They  had 
hoped  that  the  Bishop  would  yield  to  tlair 
importunities,  but  they  found  him  both 
kinder  and  firmer  than  they  expected.  On 
the  2l8t  of  January  he  set  out  for  Trichin- 
opoly,  proposing  to  defer  any  final  arrange- 
ments until  his  return.  Stopping  at  a  large 
native  station,  called  Multoopatty,  he 
preached,  and  administered  the  holy  Sacra- 
ment to  two  hundred  and  forty-SQven  native 
communicants,  no  foolish  question  of  caste 
troubling  any  mind.  In  the  afternoon,  six- 
teen children  were  baptized. 

"  I^ever,'-  says  the  Bishop,  recalling  this 
day,  "  had  I  such  grace  given  me  since  I 
have  been  in  orders,  now  thirty -four  years, 
as  is  now  vouchsafed  ;  that  1,  who  am,  in- 
deed, '  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,'  should 
be  permitted  to  preach  amongst  the  Gentiles 
'  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.'  If  God 
carries  me  through  this  series  of  iluties  and 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  181 

labors,  I  may  say  truly,  '  Lord,  novr  lettest 
Thou  Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  for  mine 
eyes  have  seen  Thy  salvation.'  One  such 
day  as  we  have  just  passed  is  worth  years  of 
commoH  service.  I  really  almost  wish  I  might 
resign  Calcutta,  and  take  the  see  of  Madras. 
These  native  churches  require  just  the  care  I 
should  delight  to  give." 

On  Friday,  January  23d,  lie  reached 
Trichinopoly,  a  place  of  fifty  thousand  inliab- 
itants,  where  tlie  beloved  Heber  died. 

Here,  the  troublesome  caste  question  was 
again  encountered.  The  Bishop  preached  in 
the  Mission  church  on  the  day  after  his 
arrival,  taking  no  notice  of  the  Soodras, 
who  were  clustering  together  in  a  group  by 
themselves,  and  who  had  not  been  near  the 
church  for  nine  months  before.  They  had 
a  native  priest  amongst  them,  and  he,  as 
well  as  many  of  the  congregation,  being  pos- 
sessed of  independent  property,  were  appar- 
ently determined  to  stand  out.  It  was 
necessary,  however,  that  the  matter  should 
be  at  once  brought  to  an  issue,  for  the 
16 


182  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

Bishop  had  but  a  few  days  to  star,  and  he 
would  return  no  more. 

Here,  therefore,  he  resolved,  for  the  first 
time,  to  carry  out  the  purpose  he  liad  fornjed. 
There  was  no  hope  tliat,  in  any  ease,  the 
whole  dissentient  body  would  comply  with 
his  wishes.  The  evil  lay  too  deep,  the  prej- 
udices and  habits  were  too  s?trong.  But  a 
nucleus  might  be  formed,  round  which 
others  might  gather  from  time  to  time,  and 
to  wliich  all  new  converts  might  be  added. 
If  this  nucleus  could  be  formed  in  eacli  sta- 
tion, and  arranged  upon  the  basis  of  the 
Bishop's  direction,  then  time,  j>atience,  and 
watchfulness,  by  God's  grace,  would  do  the 
rest. 

This,  therefore,  was  the  Bishop's  purpose  ; 
and  to  accomplish  it,  notice  was  given  of 
Divine  service  and  the  administration  of  the 
Lord's  Supper,  for  the  very  morning  of  his 
departure.  All  seemed  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  the  occasion,  and  the  church 
was  thronged.  When  the  Bishop,  in  his 
robes,  left  the  vestry  in  order  to  proceed  to 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    AVILSON.  183 

his  seat  at  the  communion-table  and  com- 
mence the  service,  lie  saw  many  scattered 
groups  of  natives  standing  apart  from  the 
main  body  of  the  congregation,  who  were 
seated  on  the  floor.  Fully  aware  of  the 
cause,  he  joined  one  group,  and  taking  two 
native  Christians  by  the  hand,  ])e  gently  led 
them  forward  to  a  vacant  place  in  front,  and 
seated  them.  Ilis  chaj>lain,  following  in  the 
surplice,  by  his  directions,  did  the  same. 
Others  who  were  j)re.<ent  were  bid  to  assist. 
It  was  all  done  quietly,  and  no  sort  of  resitit- 
ance  was  made.  The  Soodra  sat  by  the 
Pariah,  and  the  Tariah  by  the  Soodra,  and 
both  were  intentionally  intermingled  with 
many  of  the  authorities  and  influential 
Europeans  of  the  station. 

"When  all  was  quiet,  the  service  com- 
menced; and  in  the  course  of  it  forty  nalivcs 
came  up,  without  distinction,  and  were  con- 
tirmed.  Then  followed  the  sermon,  from  the 
words,  *'  Preaching  peace  by  Jesus  Christ." 
When  the  holy  Sacrament  was  about  to  be 
celebrated,  the  Bishop  quietly  gave  directions 


184  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

as  to  the  mode  of  administration.  A  Soodra 
catechist  received  it  first,  then  two  Pariah 
eatechists,  then  a  European  gentleman,  then 
a  Soodra,  then  some  East  Indians.  The  gen- 
try of  the  station,  lii.ving  been  much  inter- 
ested in  the  matter,  had  placed  themselves  at 
the  Bishop's  disposal;  and,  at  the  special 
request  of  the  lady  of  the  highest  rank,  a 
Pariah  knelt  and  communicated  between  her 
and  her  husband.  This  lacilitated  the  ar- 
rangement ;  and  silently,  but  most  effectually, 
the  barrier  which  had  existed  for  so  long  a 
time  was  broken  down,  and  one  hundred  and 
forty-seven  partook  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
without  distinction. 

A  precedent  was  thus  set.  This  was  the 
nucleus  of  the  native  Church  of  the  future. 
Every  wanderer,  every  dissentient,  might 
join  it;  but  always  in  this  way  and  accord- 
ing to  this  rule.  New  converts  also,  and 
every  one  who  was  confirmed,  would  know 
what  was  expected  from  them.  Dead  leaves 
would  gradually  drop  ofl';  these  were  to  be 
the  new  buds. 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  185 

Of  course  many  Soodras  had  retired  from 
the  church  before  the  Sacrament  was  admin- 
istered, and  all  had  been  free  to  do  so.  But 
it  was  found  that  nine  families  of  influence 
had  conformed,  and  were  well  content. 
These,  with  the  large  body  of  Pariahs,  were 
suflicient  for  the  purpose ;  and  the  Bishop 
thanked  God  and  took  courage.  lie  preach- 
ed once  more,  and  made  a  collection,  which 
Bishop  Heber's  death  had  prevented  his 
doing  nine  years  before,  for  the  Propagation 
Society,  and  then  took  his  departure.  He 
called  at  the  missionary  station  of  Boodalore, 
in  his  way,  and  arrived  at  Tanjore  again  on 
Wednesday  morning,  January  28th.* 

Three  days  after  his  return,  the  Bishop 
held  an  ordination,  when  four  deacons  were 
admitted  to  the  priesthood,  and  a  Lutheran 
missionary  was  made  deacon.  The  next 
morning  was  appointed  for  service  with  the 
natives,  and  as  it  was  the  last  time  he  could 
meet  them,   it   was    anticipated   with    some 


o  Bateman,  p.  381-2. 
■      16* 


186  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

anxiety.  The  day  began  auspiciously  by  the 
receipt  of  a  letter  from  the  native  Christians 
at  Vepery,  signed  by  seven,  in  the  name  and 
on  behalf  of  all,  confessing  past  errors,  and 
promising  unfeigned  and  unconditional  obe- 
dience for  the  future. 

The  morning  prayers  were  read  in  Tamul 
at  eight  o'clock;  and  at  half-past  ten  all 
were  assembled  for  the  sermon  and  holy 
Sacrament.  They  arranged  themselves  as 
they  pleased  ;  a  few  sat  apart ;  but  the  greater 
number  were  mingled  together.  About  six 
hundred  were  present.  The  Bishop  did  not 
interfere,  as  at  Tricliinopoly.  Attt-r  the  Lit- 
any, he  preached  t'win  the  words,  *' "Why  are 
ye  fearful,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ^"  The  whole 
congregation  seemed  to  remain  for  tlie  holy 
Sacrament ;  for  though  some  had  retired, 
yet  the  church  looked  full.  The  Kesident 
and  ladies  of  his  family  Hrst  ap})roached — 
then  some  Soodras  and  Pariahs  iMtermin«:led 
— then  some  Europeans — then  natives  and 
Europeans  mingled — then  natives  and  East 
Indians  mingled — then  one  or  two  missiona- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  187 

ries  and  natives.     All  was  voluntary,  and  all 
was  perfectly  understood. 

The  only  remaining  peculiarity — and  that 
was  fairly  allowable,  and  perhaps  desirable 
— was,  that  amongst  the  natives  men  and 
women  communicated  separately — the  men 
first,  the  women  after.  The  whole  number 
of  communicants  on  this  occasion  was  three 
hundred  and  forty-eight.  Of  these,  sixty- 
two  were  Europeans,  and  two  hundred  and 
eighty-six  native  Christians,  amongst  whom 
forty-three  were  Soodras  from  Tanjore  and 
the  neighborhood.  Here,  again,  God  gave 
success.  The  number  thus  conforming  cer- 
tainly was  small,  as  compared  with  the  many 
non-conformists ;  but  it  was  sufficient  for  a 
precedent.  It  afforded  a  rallying  point ;  and 
,the  Bishop  was  content. 
i  The  result  was  better  than  at  one  time  he 
anticipated.  Henceforth  all  depended  on 
strengthening  the  mission,  watching  over 
new  converts,  and  instructing  the  rising 
generation. 

Having  delivered  his  "  Missionary  Charge" 


188  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

at  Tanjore,  the  Bishop  retraced  his  steps  to 
Madras,  where  he  arrived  on  the  14th  of 
February,  1835,  "iiaving  spent,"  he  says, 
"the  happiest  six  months  in  my  life;  so 
much  do  I  love  missionary  work."  Ten 
days  were  given  to  Madras,  and  by  the  iid 
of  March  he  was  once  more  safely  sheltered 
beneath  our  roof,  in  Calcutta,  having  com- 
pleted a  journey  of  six  thousand  five  hun- 
dred miles. 


Cjyaptcr  Inurtctntlr. 

AT  HOME,  BUT  NOT   IDLE — CUANGE   IN  THE  GOVERNMENT, 
AND    THE    DEPARTURE    OF    FRIENDS  —  AN     AFFECTING 

DUTY LORD     WILLIAM     RETURNS     HOME — PERPLEXING 

QUESTIONS  SETTLED THE  BISHOP  RESUMES  HIS  VISIT- 
ATION— ENTRANCE-GATE  TO  THE  SYRIAN  CHURCHES — 
BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THEM — SERVICES  AT  QUILON — RETS 
OUT  FOR  THE  INTERIOR-r-FREACHES  AT  ALLEPIE — 
ATTEMPTS   TO  BENEFIT   THE    SYRIAN    CHRISTIANS — THE 

COLLEGE      AT      COTTAYAM BISHOP     WILSON     WAITED 

UPON  BY  THE  SYRIAN  CLERGY — HIS  CONFERENCES 
WITH  THEM — "never  AGAIN  SHALL  I  BEHOLD  SUCH 
A   SIGHT." 

LTHOUGH  Bishop  Wilson  had 
reached  liome,  it  was  not  for  tlie 
enjoyment  of  rest.  The  atmosphere 
of  Calcutta  was  foggy,  damp,  hot, 
and  suflocating ;  but  he  roused  liim- 
self  up  to  bear  the  pressure  of  daily 
duties,  and  many  perplexing  cares.  Changes 
were  soon  to  take  place  in  the  government, 
friends  were  departing  for  England,  and  his 
own  faith  seemed  sometimes  almost  to  waver. 
Lord  William  Bentinck  had  suffered  so  se- 


190  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

verely  from  the  climate,  that  he  had  resigned 
his  office.  His  unpleasant  difficulty  wi:h 
the  Bishop  was  now  forgotten,  and  the  latter 
said  of  him,  "  1  verily  believe  we  shall  never 
see  his  like  again.  Had  his  lordship  been 
educated  in  Church  principles,  he  would 
liave  been  nearly  perfect." 

Lord  William's  health  had  been  so  poor, 
that  he  had  been  uiuible  to  attend  public 
worship  for  some  time  past,  and  a  special 
service  was  held  for  his  benetit,  wliicli  the 
Bishop  thus  describes : 

"Monday,  March  \Oth,   .835. 

"Last  night  I  had  a  most  afteoting  duty. 
I  performed  Divine  service  for  the  first  and 
last  time  in  Government  House.  A  drawing- 
room  was  fitted  witli  a  high  table,  covered 
with  crimson  cloth ;  seats  were  arranged  on 
each  side  of  tiie  room;  all  the  Court  was 
assembled — aides-de-camp,  j.ublic  and  pri- 
vate secretaries,  physicians — in  number  about 
twenty.  My  chaplain  read  the  evening  pray- 
ers (we  were  both  robedj,  and  1  preached 
from  the  words,  'Come  unto  Me,  all  ye  that 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  191 

labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.'  I  used  Swartz's  sweet  notes, 
as  at  Tanjore.  I  spoke  and  told  out  'the 
whole  story,'  as  Joseph  Milner  would  have 
expressed  it,  addressed  the  conscience,  called 
on  the  infidel  (such  were  pi-esent)  to  consider 
his  ways,  invited  the  superstitious  (such  were 
present)  to  the  simplicity  of  Christ,  and  com- 
mended the  Governor-General  and  his  family 
and  suite  to  the  blessed  Jesus  durin"-  the 
voyage.  They  were  affected  to  tears.  After 
the  prayer  at  the  conclusion,  I  pronounced 
the  benediction,  and  gave  it  a  personal  appli- 
cation by  going  round  and  laying  my  hands 
on  the  head  of  each  kneeling  worshipper,  and 
then  returning  to  my  seat  and  concluding  it. 
The  Governor-General  and  Lady  William 
came  up  to  thank  me  after  service  ;  but  they 
were  almost  unable  to  speak  for  tears.  Who 
can  tell  what  good  may  be  done  ?  I  suppose 
it  was  the  most  affecting  scene  ever  witnessed 
at  the  departure  of  a  governor-general. 

"My  own  soul  is  subsiding  more  and  more 
into  God.     The  excitement  of  India  is  gone 


192  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

by;  the  novelty  has  ceased;  I  have  run 
through  the  first  series  of  duties;  human 
schemes  and  hopes  are  exhausted.  Now, 
blessed  Jesus!  I  return  to  Tliee.  Do  Tliou, 
and  Thou  only,  work  in  me,  and  by  nic  and 
for  me,  and  througn  me.  Be  Tliou  only 
glorified.  Disphiy  Thy  grace  in  the  efiects 
of    Thy   glorious   Gospel   in    the   hearts   of 


men. 


The    day    before    tlie   Govcruor-Gencrars 
departure',  thr   Bishop  was  requested  to  ad- 
minister  the   Ib'ly  Communion   at  (iovern- 
ment  House,     lie  makes  this  record  on  the 
ITth  of  March:  "I  iiavc  perfwrnu-d  the  sol- 
emn service.     None  were  present  Imt  Ix)rd 
and  Lady  William.     Af  er  the  Communion, 
they  sat  down  and  talked   over  with  me  the 
main  things  atiecting  my  department.     Not 
a  word  was  ^aid  of  the  ^ad  business  of  last 
June.     Ihit   every  thing  in  matter^  of  detail 
was   conceded    to  me   that   1  could  possibly 
wish.     I  then  embraeed  each  of  them,  and 
bade  them  farewell." 

And   now   a   nunii»er  of   peri»le.\ing  que8- 


LIFE    OF    BTSnOP    WILSON.  193 

tions  whicli  presented  themselves,  required 
all  the  Bishop's  wisdom  and  prudence  and 
decision  of  character,  rightly  to  settle. 
Archdeacon  Corrie  had  gone  to  England,  for 
consecration  as  Bishop  of  Madras ;  and  ac- 
cording to  a  very  absurd  custom  which  had 
grown  up,  the  senior  Presidency  chaplain 
fully  expected  to  be  a])pointed  liis  successor. 
Bi<hop  Wilson  determined  tliat  this  course 
should  be  abandoned,  aii<l  in  tlie  face  of  the 
most  violent  opposition  on  the  part  of  the 
aspiring  applicant  and  his  friends,  he  gave 
the  Archdeaconry  to  Mr.  Doaltry,  then  chap- 
lain of  the  old  church,  Calcutta. 

The  relations  between  the  Bishop  of  Cal- 
cutta and  the  Church  Missionary  Society 
were  now  definitely  settled ;  Dr.  "Wilson 
being  unwilling  to  occupy  the  position  of 
subserviency  to  a  committee  of  clergy  and 
laity  at  home,  to  which  his  predecessors  had 
felt  obliged  to  submit.  The  "  Select  Vestry" 
of  the  cathedral,  also,  who  for  years  had 
managed  its  affairs  in  their  own  way,  were 
taught  that  a  Bishop  had  some  rights  in  his 
17 


194  LFFK    OF   BISHOP    -WILSON. 

own  church,  and  that  he  was  able  to  main- 
tain them. 

These  temporary  troubles,  however,  by  no 
means  interrupted  Bishop  AVilson's  ministra- 
tions, and  he  continu'^d  to  i)reach  with  accept- 
ance the  Gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  and  to 
exercise  the  peculiar  functions  (tf  his  office. 
On  the  13th  of  October,  1885,  we  find  him 
once  more  on  shipboard,  about  to  resume  his 
visitation.  It  was  proposed  to  close  the  year 
at  Bombay,  filling  up  the  brief  intervening 
period  by  a  visit  to  the  Syrian  churches,  and 
Goa,  on  the  coast  of  Malabar.  From  Bom- 
bav,  the  visitation  would  extend  over  the 
upper  provinces,  and  close  at  Calcutta,  in  the 
spring  of  1S37. 

The  little  brig  which  the  Government  had 
provided  for  the  Bishop,  bore  him  safely 
down  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  around  Ceylon  and 
Cape  Comorin,  and  then  ascending  the  coast 
of  Malabar,  landed  him  at  Quilon,  the  en- 
trance-gate to  the  Syrian  churches.  The 
story  of  these  ancient  churches  is  well  worth 
reading,  but  this  is  no  place  to  repeat  it. 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  195 

Claiming  St.  Thomas,  the  Apostle,  as  their 
founder,  they  liave  preserved,  through  long 
ages,  the  primitive  organization  of  tlie  Church, 
and  since  Dr.  Buchanan's  visit  in  1806,  a 
friendly  intercourse  has  been  kept  up  with 
them.  Bishop  Middleton  went  to  see  them 
ten  years  afterwards,  and  Bishop  Heber  cor- 
responded with  one  of  their  bishops.  ^Ye 
have  now  to  accompany  Bishop  Wilson,  on 
his  visit,  in  the  autumn  of  1835. 

Landing  at  Quilon,  he  preached,  con- 
firmed, and  ordained,  and  then  set  out  for 
the  interior,  several  boats,  each  rowed  by  a 
dozen  men,  being  provided  for  his  party. 
As  they  approached  Allepie,  a  station  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  the  bell  Mas 
heard  sounding  sweetly  over  the  waters,  and 
calling  to  evening  service.  Though  weary 
with  a  journey  of  sixty  miles,  the  Bishop 
preached  to  a  congregation  of  about  three 
hundred  native  Christians,  and  then  at  once 
retired  to  rest. 

The  Church  missionaries,  while  laborino- 
amongst    the   heathen,    in    the   province    of 


190  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

Travancore,  were  endeavoring,  in  a  prudent 
way,  to  correct  some  of  the  abuses  which  had 
crept  into  the  ancient  Syrian  Church.  It 
was  a  delicate  task,  but  they  had  ah-eady 
accomplished  some  good,  and  Bishop  Wilson 
encouraged  them  to  hope  for  more.  With  a 
view  of  countenancing  and  aiding  this  work, 
he  now  proceeded  to  Cottayam,  where  a  col- 
lege had  been  established.  A  grant  of  land 
had  been  made  towards  its  support  by  the 
Kajah,  and  an  agreement  entered  into  with 
the  Syrian  Metran,  or  Bishop,  that  all  his 
candidates  for  the  ministry  should  enjoy  its 
benefits.  The  Church  Mi^sionary  Society 
had  contributed  liberally  for  the  establish- 
ment of  that  important  institution,  on  the 
condition  that  while  the  Syrians  should  have 
the  management  of  the  land,  the  English 
missionaries  should  instruct  the  studenis. 

This  arrangement,  while  very  admirable  in 
theory,  was  most  difficult  in  practice,  and 
what  complicated  the  wliole  matter  still 
more,  was  the  character  of  the  Syrian  Bishop 
— who  did  not  enjoy  a  high  reputation  for 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  197 

either  morality  or  honesty.  It,  however, 
formed  no  part  of  Bishop  Wilson's  plan,  to 
go  beyond  his  own  lawful  authority,  and  it 
was  rather  as  a  visitor  and  an  adviser  tliat 
he  had  come  to  Cottyam. 

Making  his  headquarters  with  the  English 
missionaries,  he  was  waited  upon  by  the 
Syrian  Bishop  and  a  number  of  the  centaurs, 
or  priests,  and  afterwards  inspected  their 
churches,  attended  their  worship,  and,  by 
invitation,  preached,  with  liis  accustomed 
simplicity  and  force.  A  special  day  was  set 
apart  for  holding  a  serious  conference  with 
the  Syrian  Bishop,  in  regard  to  the  afl'airs 
of  his  Church,  a  full  account  of  wliich  has 
been  preserved.*  The  college  difficulties, 
the  importance  of  establishing  more  schools 
throughout  the  country,  and  the  duty  of  ex- 
plaining the  Gospel  to  the  people — these, 
and  other  points,  were  freely  discussed. 

On  the  day  following,  wliich  was  Sunday, 
Bishop  "Wilson  preached.  "  I  have  wit- 
nessed," he  writes,  "  the  most  affecting  scene 
o  Batemaa's  Life  of  Bishop  Wilson,  p.  431,  etc. 

17* 


198  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

which  I  ever  could  have  conceived — two 
thousand  of  the  ancient  Syrian  Christians 
crowding  to  hear  the  word  of  the  Gospel 
in  the  principal  church  at  Cottayam — the 
Metropolitan  and  about  forty  priests  and 
deacons  being  present.  After  their  own  ser- 
vice, performed  in  their  usual  manner,  I 
preached  from  llev.  iii.  7.  S,  for  more  than 
an  hour,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bayley  interpreting. 
I  dwelt  on  wliat  the  Spirit  saith  unto  the 
Church  of  Philadelphia  :  first,  as  it  respects 
Christ,  who  addressed  the  Church  ;  secondly, 
as  it  respects  the  Church  itself;  thirdly,  as 
to  the  promise  made  to  it.  On  this  last  head 
I  showed  them  that  Christ  had  set  before 
them  an  open  door  by  the  protection  and 
friendship  of  the  English  Church  and  people. 
In  application,  I  called  on  each  one  present 
to  keep  Christ's  word,  and  not  deny  his  name, 
as  to  their  own  salvation. 

"  Never  again  shall  I  behold  such  a  sight. 
How  can  I  bless  God  enough  for  brintrinsr 
me  here  at  this  critical  time  ?  for  under  the 
present  Metran  all  has  been  going  back." 


C^apUr  liftecntl). 

HASTENING     ONWARD     TO     COCHUf — IXTEECOTJBSE    'WITH 
WHITE    AXD    BLACK   JEWS — A   WORD    OF    EXHORTATION 

WHICH    WAS    NOT    VERT    FAVOJJABLY    RECEIVED COX- 

FIRMATIOX  AT  COCniX — VISIT  TO  SEVERAL  SYRIAN 
CHURCHES — GENERAL    IMPRESSIONS  CONCERNING  THEIB 

SPIRITUAL    STATE OLD    GOA — ST.    FRANCIS    XAVIEB 

THE  CITY  OF  CHURCHES MILITARY  STATION  AT  BEL- 
GAUM — SIXTEEN  DAYS  SPENT  IN  BOMBAY — PREPARA- 
TIONS FOE  A  LONG  LAND  JOURNEY. 

tARLY  on  Monday  morning,  Novem- 
ber  23cl,    Bisliop    Wilson    and   his 
^ company    returned    to    their    boats, 

and  hastened  onward  to  Cochin, 
wliere  Mr.  Risdale,  the  English 
missionary,  gladly  received  him. 
Amongst  those  who  called  upon  him  were 
deputations  from  the  White  and  Black  Jews, 
soliciting  him  to  visit  their  synagogues.  He 
accepted  the  invitation,  and  after  the  usual 
worship,  in  the  synagogue  of  the  White 
Jews,  he  was  requested  to  address  some  word 
of    exhortation    to    the    people.     It   was   a 


200  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    AVILSON. 

strange  position  for  a  Christian  Bishop,  but 
he  rose  without  liesitation,  and  spoke  as 
follows  : 

"  Children  of  the  God  of  Abraham,  the 
God  of  Isaac,  and  the  God  of  Jacob,  hearken  : 

"  We  believe,  as  you  do,  in  tiie  God  of 
Moses,  David,  Isaiaii,  and  Daniel.  The 
prophet  Isaiah  says,  in  one  place,  'A  virgin 
shall  conceive  and  bring  forth  a  son,'  and  in 
another,  '  He  shall  be  despised  and  lojected 
of  men.'  The  })rophet  Zechariah  says,  '  Thy 
King  comelh  unto  thee,  meek,  aiid  having 
salvation.'  The  prophet  Daniel  says,  '  After 
three-score  and  two  weeks,  Messiah  shall  be 
cut  off,  but  not  for  liimself.'  Now,  we  Chris- 
tians say  that  all  these  things  liave  been  ex- 
actly fuliilled  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  that 
He  has  come ;  that  lie  has  proved  His 
mission  by  fullilling  prophecy,  by  working 
miracles,  by  a  pure  and  holy  life.  Ilim, 
through  ignorance,  your  fathers  slew  and 
hanged  on  a  tree.  You  are  still  expecting  a 
temporal  Messiah,  with  external  splendor 
and  glory  ;  we  say  that  the  highest  glory  of 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  201 

our  Lord  is  exhibited  in  His  condescension 
and  humility,  in  that,  though  He  was  rich, 
yet  lor  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  and 
liumbled  Himself  even  unto  death  for  us  men 
and  for  our  salvation.  We  pray  you  to 
listen  to  these  things.  Seek  for  the  Spirit 
of  God  who  spake  in  times  past  unto  the 
fathers  by  the  prophets.  Pray  that  your 
hearts  may  be  opened  to  understand  and 
believe  the  evidences  of  the  Christian  faith, 
and  the  Messiahship  of  tlie  Son  of  God. 
There  is  salvation  in  none  other,  for  there  is 
none  other  name  given  under  heaven  amongst 
men  whereby  we  can  be  saved."     *     *     * 

Eyes  glanced  fiercely  and  lips  curled 
scornfully  as  he  spoke  these  words ;  and 
whispers  were  interchanged,  as  if  each  one 
was  confirming  his  neighbor  in  unbelief. 
But  no  outward  manifestation  of  displeasure 
appeared  ;  and  when  the  discourse  was  ended, 
prayer  once  more  arose  from  the  desk,  and 
the  "  Bishop  of  Calcutta"  (for  the  words 
were  plainly  distinguished)  was  apparently 
commended  unto  God. 


202  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   "WILSON. 

The  congregation  was  dismissed,  and  liav- 
ing  examined  the  parcliment  rolls  of  the  law, 
the  Bishop  visited  the  synagogue  of  the 
Black  Jews,  and  then  retired  to  Iiis  quarters 
at  Mr.  Risdale's  house.  On  Tuesday,  No- 
vember 14,  he  confirmed  seventy-five  young 
persons  in  the  church  at  Cochin,  and  having 
devoted  the  next  day  to  a  visit  to  several  of 
the  Syrian  churches  in  the  northern  ])art  of 
Travancore,  he  once  more  returned  to  the 
brig  and  pursued  his  course.  He  thus  re- 
cords his  impressions  concerning  this  part  of 
his  visitation  : 

'•  I  must  pour  out  my  heart,  ere  the  im- 
pression is  weakened,  now  that  1  have  com- 
pleted my  visit  of  ten  days  to  the  Syrian 
churches.  And  first,  I  owe  humble  praises 
to  Almighty  God  that  lie  has  granted  me  to 
see  the  two  spots  I  most  eagerly  desired,  but 
never  thought  1  should  be  allowed  to  visit — 
the  southern  scenes  of  Swartz's  labors  and 
the  Syrian  churches.  I  have  also  been  per- 
mitted to  visit  them  each  in  the  most  critical 
juncture,  and  have,  1  trust,  been  enabled  in 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  203 

each  to  lay  the  foundation  of  important  ser- 
vice. I  was  yesterday  well  enough  to  write 
out  my  sermon  on  Rev.  iii.  7,  8,  which  Mr. 
Bayley  will  immediately  translate  into  Ma- 
layalim,  and  circulate,  when  printed,  amongst 
the  two  hundred  and  fifty  clergy,  and  one 
hundred  thousand  laity  of  the  Syrian  Church. 
The  Eesident  will,  moreover,  immediately 
meet  the  senior  missionary,  and  see  the 
Metran,  and  put  things  in  train  to  meet  my 
wishes.  God  only  knows  what  events  may 
happen  ;  but  never  in  my  life,  1  think, 
was  I  permitted  to  render  a  greater  service 
than  in  these  dear  Syrian  churches.  But, 
hush,  my  soul !  lest  thou  rob  God  of  His 
glory. 

"  Amongst  the  general  remarks  which  oc- 
cur to  me  whilst  reflecting  on  these  churches, 
one  is,  that  we  have  here  an  example  of  a 
native  ministry  in  primitive  simplicity,  living 
for  the  most  part  in  their  churches,  on  about 
eight  or  ten  rupees  a  month  (or  ten  or  twelve 
pounds  a  year),  their  dress  white  linen,  their 
food  rice,  eggs,  and  milk.     It  was  thus  Am- 


204  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

brose  and  Basil  and  Austin  lived,  allowing 
for  differences  of  climate. 

"  Another  remark  is,  that  we  have  here 
the  primitive  use  of  synods  and  elections. 
The  Metran  himself  is  chosen  by  the  clergy, 
two  or  three  being  set  apart,  and  then  lots 
drawn.  The  congregation,  also,  approves  of 
the  priest  before  he  is  set  over  them  ;  and 
the  deacons  are  nominated  in  the  first  in- 
stance by  lay  pereons.  For  all  great  mat- 
ters, bishop,  priests,  and  chief  laity  meet  in 
synods. 

"Another  primitive  custom  is,  tiie  number 
of  priests  and  deacons  who  live  at  each 
church.  There  are  generally  six  or  seven ; 
and  as,  from  their  j>overty,  they  are  fre- 
quently unmarried,  they  live  upon  the  fees. 
This  leads  to  abuse. 

"  Another  trait  is,  the  high  reverence  of 
the  people  for  the  sacred  office.  They  dis- 
tinguish between  the  bad  character  of  the 
present  Metran  and  his  office.  This  rever- 
ence doubtless  partakes  of  supei"stitiou. 

"  It  is  a  further  peculiarity,  that  each  Me- 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    AVILSON.  205 

tran  or  Metropolitan  consecrates  his  successor 
early,  and  then  dismisses  him  to  the  most 
distant  part  of  his  diocese,  to  live  retired  in 
one  of  the  churches,  without  allowing  him 
the  power  of  ordination  or  the  privilege  of 
jurisdiction.  Tliis  is  to  keep  up  the  apostol- 
ical succession. 

"  Once  more.  Ecclesiastical  and  civil  suits 
are  brought  before  the  bishop,  while  criminal 
cases  go  before  the  ruling  powers,  according 
to  St.  PanTs  directions  to  the  Corinthians. 
This  is,  however,  giving  way  in  civil  matters, 
but  the  ecclesiastical  power  is  complete. 

"  Affain.  This  is  now  the  onlv  Church,  so 
far  as  I  know,  that  professes  to  be  governed 
by  the  decrees  of  the  Council  of  Nice,  and 
enforces  on  her  priests,  at  ordination,  obe- 
dience to  its  canons. 

"  As  to  the  Nestorian  and  Jacobite  errors, 
they  seem  to  know  nothing  about  them, 
though  the  liturgies  now  in  use  amongst 
them  employ  ceriainly  the  Jacobite  terms." 

The  Bishop's  next  halting-place  was  Goa — 
the  only  renmant  of  the  Portuguese  domin- 
18 


206  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

ions  in  India,  and  the  head-quarters  of  Ro- 
manism. The  Bombay  Government  had 
announced  his  coming,  and  requested  that 
he  might  be  received  with  becoming  cour- 
tesy. This  request  was  more  than  granted, 
and  every  kindness  was  shown  him.  Free 
access  was  given  to  the  many  inj\gniticent 
churches,  and  he  visited  the  tomb  of  St. 
Francis  Xavier  on  the  high  festival  day  set 
apart  to  his  memory.  The  following  page 
from  the  Bishop's  journal  is  worth  pre- 
serving : 

"Old  Goa,  Convkyt  of  th«  ArorsnrfKS,  | 
Thursday,  Decembn  M,  \K\b.  ) 

"Here,  in  the  very  building  where  Dr. 
Buchanan,  in  ISOS,  wrote  those  touching 
memoranda  about  Goa,  which  tilled  England 
afterwards  with  indignation  at  the  Inquisi- 
tion, I  am  sitting,  witli  mixed  feelings  of 
admiration,  grief,  and  joy.  I  see  some  etiecta 
of  that  eminent  man's  labors.  A  tew  years 
after  he  wrote,  the  Inquisition,  by  tho  inter- 
ference of  England,  was  abolished;  and  in 
1830  the  entire  building  was  levelled  with 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  207 

the  ground.  I  have  been  walking  over  tlie 
ruins,  and  it  was  with  ditticultj  I  was  pulled 
up  the  mounds  of  overgrown  fragments.  I 
looked  round  on  the  vast  masses  with  wonder 
at  the  mysteries  of  Providence  in  the  wvv- 
throw  of  this  monstrous  usurpation.  The 
dungeons. were  inaccessible,  and,  indeed,  the 
long,  lank,  wild  herbage  springing  up  all 
abi)ut,  rendered  the  separate  divisions  of  the 
building  indistinct.  It  seems  to  have  been  a 
quadrangle,  with  an  interior  court  und  clois- 
ters. It  adjoined  the  cathedral  and  arclji- 
episcopal  j)alace,  and  is  an  emblem  now,  as  I 
hupe,  of  ihe  fall  of  the  kindred  establish- 
ments of  an  apostate  church  in  Europe. 

**Thi8  was,  as  Dr.  Buchanan  well  expresses 
it,  the  City  of  Churches.  In  15UU  there 
were  one  hundred  and  litty  thousand  Chri.- 
tians  in  comnmnion  with  the  Church  <.!' 
liome.  Now  the  number  of  communicants 
in  the  cathedral  and  ditferent  parish  churches 
is  about  two  hundred.  As  the  power  of 
Portugal  sank  before  the  Dutch  in  1(J6U,  and 
was  at  length  annihilated  bv  the  British  su- 


208  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    "WILSON. 

premacy,  Goa  gradually  lust  its  influence 
It  then  became,  and  was  discovered  to  be, 
unhealthy.  Thus  it  was  deserted,  and  so 
remains. 

"  I  have  been  breakfasting  in  the  cloisters, 
on  provisions  brought  by  Archdeacon  Carr, 
of  Bombay,  who  has  joined  ns,  and  Captain 
Le  Mesurer,  who  is  appointed  to  command 
our  escort.  On  either  side  1  liad  a  monk ; 
one  held  ottice  in  the  convent,  and  spoke  a 
little  French.  I  told  him  how  I  admired  St. 
Austin,  and  liad  read  only  a  few  days  since 
an  abridgment  of  his  '  Confessions.'  I  said, 
'  We  Protestants  believe  in  Jesus  Christ  as 
St.  Austin  did,  though  you  think  we  are 
atheists.  Ko ;  we  know  we  are  sinners,  and 
we  humbly  trust  in  the  merits  and  death  of 
the  Son  of  God.'  'Je  ne  suis  pas  J6suite, 
moi ;  mais  je  suis  Jesus,  ^'on  sum  Jesuita; 
sed  ego  sequor  Jesum.'     They  assented." 

On  the  otli  of  December  the  Bishop  let\ 
Goa  (having  returned  his  best  acknowledg- 
ments for  the  kindness  which  had  been  ex- 
tended to   him),    and   jiaid   a   hasty   visit   to 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  209 

the  military  station  at  Belgaum,  where  he 
preached  on  the  next  day  to  a  thousand  Eu- 
ropean troops,  and  o:i  Monday  confirmed  and 
administered  the  JJnly  Coninmnion.  Five 
days  more  brought  him  to  Bombay.  Land- 
iug  early  on  Sunday  morniug,  he  rode  at 
once  to  St.  Thomas'  church,  and  having 
preached  to  a  large  congregation,  he  was 
invited  to  make  his  home  with  his  old  friend, 
Sir  Eobert  Grant,  the  -Governor.  Sixteen 
days  were  spent  in  Bombay,  where  all  things 
\vere  found  at  peace.  The  usual  sermons, 
confirmations,  school  examinations,  and  com- 
mittee meetings  took  place. 

On  the  23d  of  December  the  Bishop  deliv- 
ered a  charge  to  the  clergy,  and  then  began 
his  i)reparations  for  a  long  journey  through 
the  upper  provinces  of  India.  It  was  of 
great  importance  to  reach  the  IlimaUiya 
Mountains,  and  obtain  slielter  there  before 
the  hot  weather  set  in;  and  this  involved  a 
succession  of  one  hundred  marches,  and  a 
distance  of  fifteen  hundred  miles,  through 
countries  in  many  parts  unsettled,  and  by  no 
18* 


210  LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

means  safe.  From  the  commissariat  stores 
of  the  government,  elephants,  camels,  hack- 
eries or  country  carts,  and  tents,  with  their 
attendants,  were  furnished  willingly  ;  but 
each  one  of  the  party  had  to  provide  for 
himself  servants,  bearers,  palanquins,  horses, 
and  all  the  many  contrivances  essential  to 
comfort,  and  indeed  to  health,  upon  a  long 
land  journey  in  India.  The  camp  was  gra- 
dually formed  and  sent  forward,  and  soon 
afterwards  the  Bishop  took  leave  of  his  kind 
friends  at  Bombay,  and  set  out  on  his  toil- 
some way. 


POOKAH     AND    KIKKEE — XEW    YEAR's    BLES3INQ READY 

FOR  MARCIIIXG IIOKSE  AND  FOOT — THE  SEPOY  GUARD 

— ORDER   OF   PROCEEDINGS — TEMPERANCE    LECTURE 

ENTERS  THE  TERRITORIES  OF  THE  NIZAM — A  NICE 
CHURCH,  BUT  ONE  SELDOM  USED — THE  EFFECTS  OF 
PLAIN  PREACHING,  UNDER  CERTAIN  CIRCUMSTANCES — 
LAY-READING  RECOM.MENDED — THE  BISUOP  OF  MADRAS 
SENDS  A  WARNING  WHICH  IS  UNHEEDED — BRAVING 
DANGERS — STANDING  UP  FOR  THE  ORDER  OF  THE 
OHUBCn. 

HE  last  day  of  the  old  year  and  the 
lirst  day  of  the  new  were  passed  by 
Bishop  Wilson  at  the  great  military 
^i^i^"-.  stations  of  Poonah  and  Kirkee. 

He   thus   records   his   reflections 
there : 

"  PooNAii,  December  31,  1835. 

"We  arrived  at  this  ancient  seat  of  the 
Mahratta  Empire  at  Ave  o'clock  this  morn- 
ing. It  is  an  immense  cantonment.  It  has 
been  fearfully  cold.  At  eight  o'clock  yester- 
day morning,  the  thermometer  was  54°.  The 
fine  old  Mahratta  commander  of  the  thirty 


212  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

horsemen  who  form  ray  escort,  and  ride 
peaceably  beside  my  palanquin,  was  a  cele- 
brated officer  under  the  Peiswah's  govern- 
ment, and  fought  most  fiercely  against  the 
English  only  eighteen  years  since.  The 
tremendous  character  of  these  Mali  rat  t  as  re- 
mains, though  they  are  subdued.  My  com- 
mander came  to  be  introduced  to  me  this 
morning,  bedizened  with  gold.  lie  had  a 
dark,  jutting  countenance,  eyes  tierce  and 
prominent,  mustaches  black  as  jet,  sword 
sheathed  by  his  side.  This  Poonah,  with 
Ahmedabad,  was  one  of  the  scerR'S  of  the 
acute  negotiations  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington 
in  1803.  Even  at  present,  no  Mahratta  is  al- 
lowed to  go  to  Bombay  without  special  license. 

"January  1.  183<i. 

"  A  happy,  happy  new  year  to  my  dearest 
family.  A  bishop's  and  a  father's  blesting 
rest  upon  you  all.  Be  encouraged  in  the 
good  ways  of  the  Lord.  Let  us  grow  in 
grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  (which  includes, 
in  inspired  language,  faith  and  love)  of  our 
Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.     Let  deep, 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    ■WILSON.  213 

unaffected,  heartfelt  humility  before  God, 
silence,  dread  of  human  applause,  a  willing- 
ness to  be  unknown,  a  sole  reference  to  the 
approbation  of  God  the  great  final  Judge,  an 
independence  of  the  frown  or  flattery  of  the 
religious  world,  be  our  constant  aim.  May 
all  this  increase  in  us  this  new  year,  im- 
mensely ditiicult  as  eacli  part  of  it  is." 

On  new  year's  day  the  Bishop  preached 
to  five  hundred  soldiers  at  Kirkee,  and  on  the 
day  following  in  the  handsome  church  at 
Poonah.  A  Confirmation  closed  his  services 
at  tiiese  important  stations.  By  the  4th  of 
January  all  things  were  in  readiness  for  the 
march  to  Simlah,  and  the  Bishop,  accom- 
panied by  Archdeacon  Carr,  his  chaplain, 
captain,  and  doctor,  began  his  patriarchal 
lite.  Two  hundred  and  seventy  persons 
accompanied  him,  and  formed  a  motley 
group  of  all  ranks  and  callings.  First  came 
the  soldiers,  horse  and  foot,  the  former  as  a 
guard  of  honor,  but  still  calculated  to  render 
good  service  ;  the  latter  as  a  defence  in  a 
district  full  of  thieves. 


214  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

The  commander  of  the  horsemen  has  been 
already  described.  The  men  were  in  strict 
accord  with  him— wild  and  undisciplined 
Mahrattas,  full  of  fire  and  pride.  They 
received  British  pay,  but  each  wore  his  own 
dress,  provided  his  own  horse,  and  chose  his 
own  weapons.  The  dress  was  fanciful,  and 
composed  of  mingled  colors  of  red,  yellow, 
blue,  and  white,  with  a  small  turban  set 
jauntily  upon  the  head ;  the  horse  was 
active,  but  full  of  vice,  and  incapable  of  long 
continued  service  ;  the  weapons  consisted  of 
a  long  gun,  a  spear,  several  swords,  and 
pistols  ad  libitum.  These  troopers  served  to 
carry  messages  and  procure  guides. 

The  Sepoys,  on  the  other  hand,  guarded 
the  camp  at  night.  Without  such  precau- 
tion in  this  part  of  India,  few  could  escape 
being  pillaged.  A  naked  man,  with  hair 
shaved  close,  and  skin  dark  us  the  niglit, 
would  glide  beneath  the  cords,  cut  an  open- 
ing in  the  canvass,  and  strip  the  tent.  All 
would  be  conveyed  away  so  silently  and 
imperceptibly,    that    the   inmates,   however 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  215 

numerous,  would  be  unconscious  of  the 
wrong  till  the  morning  light  revealed  it. 
Nay,  instances  were  common  of  the  very 
sheets  of  the  bed  being  taken  from  under  the 
sleeper.  A  tickling  feather  sufficed,  without 
awaking,  to  cause  a  restless  movement,  and 
this  admitted  of  a  pull.  Then  came  a  pause  ; 
after  which  the  process  is  repeated  again 
and  again,  till  the  object  was  attained.  And 
if  from  any  sudden  cause  tlie  sleeper  awaken- 
ed, and  discovering,  attempted  to  seize  the 
thief,  a  greased  body,  and  a  sharp  dagger 
fixed  outside  the  elbow,  insured  escape.  A 
party  who  came  across  the  Bishop's  route 
aflbrded  an  illustration  of  all  this.  They 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  j)itch  their  tents  close 
to  his  guard  of  soldiers,  for  the  better  secu- 
rity. They  were  willingly  allowed  to  do  so, 
but  in  the  morning  there  came  a  message  to 
beg  for  clothes,  since  husband,  wife,  child, 
and  nurse  had  been  robbed  of  almost  all. 

But  besides  the  troops  thus  needed  for 
honor  and  for  safety,  each  individual  of  the 
Bisliop's  party  was  provided  with  a  full  set 


216-  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

of  bearers  (for  no  delays  were  to  be  met  with 
in  these  parts)  for  carrying  the  pahanquin, 
and  running  into  stations  for  the  Sundays; 
whilst  each  hackery,  elephant,  camel,  bul- 
lock, and  pony  had  one  or  more  attendants, 
with  wives  and  families  accompanying  them. 
Soon  all  things  fell  into  order.  Each  person 
in  the  encampment  found  his  proper  place, 
and  moved  on,  day  by  day,  without  friction. 

Lens  before  dawn  the  summons  to  aj'ise 
and  depart  was  heard  ;  and  if  the  sleeper 
hesitated,  the  tapping  of  his  teiit-pegs  and 
the  collapse  of  the  canvass  covering  presaged 
a  catastrophe.  A  cup  of  coffee  was  ready  at 
his  call;  his  horse  stood  at  the  tent-door; 
one  after  another  joined  the  single  file,  fol- 
lowing the  troopers  and  the  guide,  and  keep- 
ing close  together,  lest  from  the  high  jungle 
on  either  side  a  tiger  should  make  his  spring. 
Five  or  six  miles  were  thus  slowly  passed  ; 
and  when  the  sun  arose,  the  Bishop  finished 
the  march  of  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  his 
palanquin,  and  the  others  on  the  gallop. 

Arrived  at  the  new  encampment,  a  second 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSOX.  217 

set  of  tents,  fac-similes  of  those  just  left,  stood 
pitched  in  the  same  external  order  as  on  the 
day  before  ;  whilst  the  proper  occupant,  on 
entering,  found  his  table,  chair,  book,  writ- 
ing-case, and  pencil  arranged  precisely  as 
when  sleep  had  closed  his  eyes  on  the  pre- 
vious night.  All  remained  the  same,  but  in 
another  scene,  and  under  another  sky.  Some 
hours  after,  the  elephants,  camels,  and  carts 
came  up,  bringing  the  tents  and  baggage. 
Then  daily  food  was  sought,  followed  by  the 
morning's  quiet,  the  mid  day  meal,  the  even- 
ing stroll. 

In  this  style  the  Bishop  made  his  visitation 
through  this  part  of  India.  Divine  service 
and  a  Confirmation  were  held  at  the  station 
called  Ahniednuiz:icur,  where  the  breach  is 
still  seen  which  Wolliiigtou's  great  guns 
made  in  its  strong  walls.  He  also  delivered 
a  powerful  appeal  in  behalf  of  temperance, 
as  the  evils  of  hard-drinking  had  been  seri- 
ously felt. 

The  Bishop  now  entered  the  territories  of 

the  Nizam,  and  was  escorted  to  the  famous 
19 


218  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

town  called  Aurungabad,  not  far  off  from 
which  was  the  encampment  of  English 
troops.  Although  tlie  number  of  Europeans 
did  not  exceed  thirty,  there  was  a  neat 
church  and  burial-ground  —  but,  alas!  no 
chaplain,  nor  any  attempt  at  religious  wor- 
ship. Besides  preaching  and  administering 
the  Lord's  Supper,  the  Bishop  baptized  a 
number  of  native  children,  whose  parents 
sought  this  blessing  for  them. 

To  show  the  eftect  of  plain  preaching  upon 
the  minds  of  those  who  had  long  lived  in  the 
neglect  of  Christian  duties,  it  is  said  that 
some  were  quite  alarmed  at  hearing  idolatry 
denounced,  lest  the  Nizam  should  be  oflended 
at  it.  The  old  Colonel  commandant  had  no 
such  fears,  but  not  having  attended  service 
before  for  twenty  years,  he  made  up  his  mind 
that  the  sermon  was  all  meant  for  him,  and 
was  so  enraged  that  he  would  not  even  sav 
good-bye  to  the  Bishoj». 

Another  officer  in  authority,  but  of  a  dif- 
ferent cast  of  mind,  expressed  the  utmost 
astonishment.     "  I  came  out,"  he  said,  "  as  a 


LIFE   OF   UISHOP    WILSON.  219 

boy  of  fifteen.  I  have  been  many  years  in 
India,  and  have  been  tossed  hither  and 
thither.  I  have  been  stationed  here  some 
years,  and  have  not  heard  a  sermon  preached. 
I  never  heard  such  words  delivered  witli 
such  power.  I  had  no  idea  in  my  mind  of 
such  manly  eloquence.  I  cannot  express  my 
feelings." 

Before  leaving  Aurungabad,  the  Bishop 
exhorted  the  residents  to  assemble  every 
Sunday,  and  let  one  of  their  number  read 
the  Church  service  and  a  printed  sermon, 
until  some  better  arrangement  could  be 
made. 

When  the  Presidency  of  Bombay  was 
changed  for  that  of  Bengal,  Archdeacon 
Carr  returned,  and  another  captain  took 
charge  of  the  escort.  Ilere  the  Bishop  re- 
ceived a  letter,  to  which  he  thus  refers : 

"The  Bishop  of  Madras  has  sent  me  an 
earnest  entreaty  to  return  to  Calcutta  by  sea 
from  Bombay,  and  not  venture  the  journey 
to  Delhi  and  the  hills.  But  by  this  I  lose 
all  the  advantage  of  the  last  three  months. 


220  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON". 

I  turn  back  upon  my  steps  before  any  ade- 
quate cause  appears,  I  leave  the  Upper 
Provinces  to  be  visited  some  other  time  with 
increased  risk  and  inconvenience.  All  here, 
however,  witli  whom  I  consult,  so  fully  agree, 
that  I  am  quite  a^  ease  in  foro  conscienticB^ 
and  have  resolved  to  go  on,  whatever  Provi- 
dence may  appoint  for  me.  I  am  with 
God." 

Braving  the  dangers  of  an  unsettled  coun- 
try and  of  deadly  disease,  the  apostolic  man 
pushed  onward,  only  halting  for  rest,  and  for 
the  performance  of  his  sacred  duties  at  the 
stations  which  he  passed.  We  need  not  fol- 
low him,  step  by  step.  Everywhere  he  en- 
deavored to  raise  the  tone  of  morality  and 
religion,  and  to  preserve  the  orderly  an-ange- 
ments  of  the  Church.  At  a  distant  station, 
where  he  found  the  chaplain  about  to  read 
prayers  for  a  Presbyterian  minister,  who  had 
announced  his  arrival  and  expressed  a  will- 
ingness to  preach,  the  Bishop  put  a  stop  to 
the  irregular  proceedings.  It  was  nor,  in 
this  case,  the  result  of  an  advanced  liberality, 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  221 

but  sprang  from  ignorance  on  the  part  of  the 
chaplain,  and  an  inability  to  say  "No." 
This  was  not  an  isolated  instance ;  and  the 
recurrence  of  it  was  checked  by  a  general 
circular  to  the  clergy. 

19* 


C^a^tcr  f  cljfntctntli. 

JTEPOOR— JOURNEY  TO  DELHI — MOSQTTES  AXD  PALACES 
— HOLT  WEEK  AT  MEERUT — FOCR  THOrSAXD  CriRIS- 
TIANS — A  WELL-SPENT  WEEK — CONFIRMATION — VISIT- 
ING THE  SICK — SUDD'JN  ILLNESS — HIMALAYA  MOUNT- 
AINS— MUSSOOREH — BUILDING  A  CHURCH DEO  ORATIA8 

PERILOUS     JOURNEY— ARRIVAL     AT      SIMLAH  — FOUR 

months'    COMPARATIVE    REST — i'UEPARING    A    VOLUMB 
OF   SERMONS   FOR   THE    PRESS. 

AVING    performed   Divine    service 
and  preached  several  times  at  Jye- 
poor,  Bishop  Wilson  reached  Delhi 
on  the   26th  of  March.     "After  a 
journey,"  lie  writes,  "of  eighty-nine 
days,    of.  which    fifty-one   were,   in 
part,    spent   at    the   different    stations,    and 
thirty-eight  wholly  in  travelling,  I  came  this 
morning  within  sight  of  the  domes  and  min- 
arets of  Delhi.     The  distant  view  vorv  nnirh 
resembled  that  of  Oxford  from  the  Banbury 
road.     A  near  approach,  however,  dissipated 
the  delusion,  as  it  displayed  the  h.fty  citv 
walls,  in  excellent  repair,  stretching  as  far  an 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  -2'2o 

the  eye  could  reach.  We  entered  tlie  fortifi- 
cations at  about  seven  o'clock,  after  fifteen 
hours'  dak ;  and  most  imposing  was  the 
grandeur  of  the  mosques,  palaces,  and  man- 
sions of  the  ancient  monarchy  of  the  world. 
The  red  stone  of  which  many  of  the  build- 
ings are  constructed  is  very  beautiful.  The 
wide  streets,  the  ample  bazaars,  the  shops, 
with  every  kind  of  elegant  wares;  the  ])ro- 
digious  elephants,  used  for  all  purjjoses ;  the 
numerous  native  carriages,  M'ith  noble  oxen  ; 
the  children  bedizened  with  finery  ;  the  vast 
elevation  of  the  mosques,  fountains,  and 
caravanserais  for  travellers;  the  canals  full 
of  running  water  raised  in  the  midst  of  the 
streets,  all  gave  me  an  impression  of  the 
magnificence  of  a  city  which  was  once 
twenty  miles  square,  and  counted  two  njil- 
lions  of  inhabitants.  May  God  bless  the 
hundred  and  thirty  Christians,  out  of  the 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  Hindoos  and 
Mohammedans  now  constituting  the  popula- 
tion." 

As  the  Bishop  proposed  to  make  a  longer 


224  LIFK    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

lialt  at  Delhi  on  his  retuni,  he  only  spent  the 
Sunday  before  Easter  there,  at  this  time,  and 
then  jni.xhed  on  to  Meerut,  where  Holy  Wt-ck 
Nvas  to  be  j>a6sed.  Here,  a  noble  chiircl., 
eapable  of  holding  two  thousand  persons, 
had  been  consecrated  by  Bishop  Ileber,  in 
l>>i'-i.  Several  fine  regiments  of  English  sol- 
diers, besides  a  large  body  of  native  troops, 
were  stationed  at  ^[oerut,  the  number  of 
Christians  in  the  jdace  being  four  thuu>an(l. 

Each  day  of  Holy  AVeek  the  church*  was 
opened  for  morning  j)rayers,  each  day  the 
l3i^hoJ)  e.\i)0unde(l  the  (iospel  with  imikIi 
tendernesij,  and  eacli  <luy  more  than  two 
hundred  persons  assembled  to  receive  the 
word  at  his  mouth.  On  Good  Eriday  and 
Ea-ttr  Day  the  whole  body  of  the  military 
thronged  the  spacious  church.  Such  a  sight 
called  forth  all  the  Bishoj)'6  })Owers.  'lo  ar- 
rive in  time,  he  had  far  (»utstripped  the 
camp,  and  his  sermons  w  ere  all  k-ft  behind  ; 
but  he  made  fresh  ones  on  each  occasit)n, 
more  suitable,  perhaps,  because  written  un- 
der j>resent  impressions. 


LIFK    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  225 

Meerut  was  full  of  sickness  and  full  of 
sad  hearts,  and  deep  sympathy  had  been 
aroused  for  one  of  the  chaplains  into  whose 
house  death  had  again  and  again  entered. 
As  three  dear  children  were  in  quick  succes- 
sion carried  to  their  burial,  the  hearts  of  all 
were  moved,  and  prepared  to  receive  the 
word  when  the  Bishop,  on  Easter  Day,  ad- 
dressed his  crowded  audience  from  1  Thess. 
iv.  13,  14,  and  spoke  of  the  "  child  of  sorrow 
consoled  by  the  fact,  the  benefits,  and  the 
prospects  of  the  resurrection."  It  Mas  hard 
to  decide  whicli  was  the  more  affecting  sight 
— that  witnessed  when  linndreds  were  melted 
into  tears  in  the  great  congregation  under  the 
power  of  his  appeals,  or  that  when,  the  pub- 
lic service  ended,  lie  went  into  tlie  house  of 
mourning,  and  read  his  sermon  once  again 
to  the  bereaved  and  weeping  mother. 

The  number  presented  for  Confirmation 
on  Easter  Eve  had  been  one  hundred  and 
twenty-two;  the  number  of  communicants 
on  Easter  Day  was  one  hundred  and  twenty. 
The  evening  services,  though  voluntary  as  it 


226  LITE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

respected  the  attendance  of  the  troope,  and 
though  the  Bishop  did  not  preach,  were 
largely  attended;  and  on  Easter  Monday 
and  Tuesday  the  interest  continued  unabated. 

On  Wednesday  the  Bishop  preached  in  a 
pretty  missionary  chapel,  built  by  the  Begum 
Sumroo,  and  under  the  charge  of  a  catecliist 
named  Richards.  On  this  occasion,  seventy 
natives  were  baptized  and  contirnied. 

On  Thursday  Divine  service  was  celebrated 
on  occasion  of  the  consecration  of  a  new 
burial-ground;  and  on  Friday  one  hundred 
sick  soldiers  were  visited  in  hospital,  ad- 
dressed tenderly,  and  prayed  for.  The  fine 
schools  of  the  Dragoons  and  l>utis  were  also 
examined. 

On  Saturday  two  hours  were  sj)ent  amongst 
the  native  Christians,  and  two  hours  more  in 
earnest  and  anxious  conference  with  the 
chaplains,  the  mind  of  one  having  been  long 
harassed  with  conscientious  scruples  on  vari- 
ous Church  questions. 

On  Sunday  the  Bishop  preached  twice, 
with  his  usual  energy,  but  at  length  he  was 


LITE   OF   BISHOP   "SVTLSON.  227 

taken  dangerously  sick.  Fortunately,  a  skil- 
ful physician  was  at  hand,  and  he  soon  re- 
covered and  pressed  onward.  On  the  16th 
of  April,  1836,  he  was  at  the  foot  of  the 
Himalaya  Mountains,  the  very  day  arranged 
for  his  arrival  there,  nine  months  before ;  so 
wonderfully  had  a  gracious  Providence  or- 
dered all  his  goings. 

Ilis  lirst  stopping-place,  in  the  ascent,  was 
Mussooree,  where  was  neither  chaplain  nor 
church.  He  preached  at  Landour,  the  sana- 
tarium  for  sick  soldiers,  and  announced  to 
the  crowded  congregation  that  he  intended 
to  build  a  church  for  them,  at  the  same  time 
calling  a  public  meeting  to  make  the  neces- 
sary arrangements.  He  thus  speaks  of  the 
gratifying  result : 

"  Mussooree,  Tuesday,  April  26,  1836,  6.30  a.m. 

"Yery  chilly  morning;  thermometer  44 
degrees;  driven  in  from  my  walk  by  the 
wintry  cold.  Yesterday  also  was  cold,  with 
a  cloudy  sky  and  rain.  My  poor  torrified 
frame,  accustomed  for  four  years  to  excessive 
heat,  is  shrivelled  up  with  this  English  Janu- 


228  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

ary  weather.  But  what  a  blessing  such  hills 
are!  There  were  twelve  new  houses  built 
last  season  (April  to  October),  and  there  will 
be  more  this.  Kor  are  we  without  hopes  of 
an  Enfflish-like  country  cliurch  being  built. 
I  was  sitting,  about  eleven  o'clock,  with  two 
or  three  gentlemen  who  had  called,  amongst 
whom  was  Captain  Blair,  just  returned, 
along  the  hills  from  Simlah,  when  the  two 
leading  persons  at  ^leerut,  Hamilton  and 
Hutchinson,  came  to  talk  with  me  al>out  the 
church  of  which  I  gave  notice  on  Sunday. 
We  soon  warmed.  Plans,  sites,  architects, 
means  of  supply  were  arranged  in  about 
two  hours.  I  promised  one  thousand  rupees 
from  the  Church-building  Fund,  tw«>  hundred 
rupees  from  the  Christian  Knowledge  Soci- 
ety, and  two  hundred  rni»ees  myself.  Three 
gentlemen  each  subscribed  two  hundred  and 
one  hundred.  We  ordered  our  ponies  and 
johnpons  (commonly  so  called,  but  properly 
char-palkee — a  four-legged  chair,  carried  on 
two  poles  by  two  or  more  men,  and  usual  on 
the  hills)  on  the  instant,  to  go  and  see  the 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  229 

three  or  four  places  pronounced  eligible  for 
sites.  The  heavens  were  cloudy,  and  no  sun 
to  di'cad.  "We  were  on  the  grounds  from  two 
to  four  o'clock,  and  selected  the  best  spot. 
Before  night  Mr.  Bateman,  my  chaplain,  had 
sketched  an  elevation  for  a  church,  lifty  feet 
by  twenty-live,  to  hold  two  hundred  people; 
and  I  had  finished  mv  letter  to  Mr.  AVhitinxr, 
the  owner  of  the  land.  On  ]\Ionday  we  hope 
to  be  ready  fur  the  jmblic  meeting.  My 
church-building  experience  at  home  comes 
in,  and  enables  me  to  speak  with  decision. 
Deo  y  rat  las. 

"May  4th.  We  shall  have  a  chureh  hero 
presently.  The  beautiful  [)lan  Mas  entirely 
approved  by  the  committee  here  on  Monday, 
as  well  as  by  a  scientific  oflicer  at  Saharun- 
pore,  to  whom  it  was  submitted.  The  esti- 
mate is  three  thousand  two  hundred  rupees ; 
and  the  subscriptions  already  raised  amount 
to  three  thousand  three  hundred  rupees.  A 
little  hesitation  remains  about  the  exact  site, 
because  the  habitations  ramble  over  a  space 
of  four  or  five  miles ;  but  we  have  two  in 
20 


230  LIFE  OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

view,  and  I  hope,  before  we  leave,  on  May 
16th,  to  lay  the  iirst  stone, 

"May  lO.h.  God  he  thanked!  I  have 
just  returned  from  measuring  out  the  site 
for  our  new  cliurch,  to  be  called  Christ 
Church,  which  Mr.  Proby  has  given  us  out 
of  his  own  garden,  about  une  hundred  feet 
by  sixty.  This  will  be  the  Iirst  churcli  built 
in  India  after  the  pattern  of  an  English  j)ar- 
ish  cliurch.  It  will  stand  on  a  njountain  like 
Zion,  '  beautiful  for  situation.'  The  tower  is 
eighteen  feet  square  and  thirty-five  feet  high  ; 
the  body  of  the  church  is  fifty-five  by  twenty- 
three. 

"Monday,  May  16th.  On  Saturday  we 
laid  the  foundation-stone  of  Christ  Church, 
Mussooree.  The  whole  Christian  population 
poured  out — I  suppose  four  or  five  hundred 
persons.  The  scene  on  the  gently  sloping 
side  of  the  hill  was  exquisite,  and  the  entire 
ground  aroimd  the  circuit  of  the  foundations 
was  crowded.  The  Himalaya  Mountains 
never  witnessed  such  a  sigiit.  I  began  with 
some  prayers  from  the  service  for  consecrat- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOJS^.  231 

ing    churclies,    slightly    varied.      Then    luy 
chaplain    read   Psalm   Ixxxvii.     Mr.  Proby 
read  Haggai   1st,  and  the  whole  assembly 
sang  the  hundredth  psalm.     I  made  a  short 
address.     The  senior  civilian,  Mr.  Hutchin- 
son, next  read   the   deed   of  gift.     Colonel 
Young,  political  agent  (the  king,  in  fact,  of 
the  Dhoon),  read  a  copy  of  the  inscription. 
All  was  now  ready,  and  I  descended  into  the 
deep  cavity  in   the  mountain,  and  laid  the 
stone  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and    the    Holy  Ghost.     The   Lord's   Prayer 
and  Benediction  closed  the  service.     As  we 
were  departing,  the    band  of  the  Ghoorka 
regiment    struck .  up    the    national    anthem, 
which,  echoing  and  re-echoing  amongst  the 
mountains,  was  the  finest  thing  I  ever  heard. 
Afterwards  I  entertained  the  committee  at 
dinner.     We  sat  down,  twenty-one,  in  camp 
fashion,    each   one    sending   his   own    chair, 
knives,  forks,  plates,  and  spoons.     God  be 
mao-nified  !       The    whole    celebration    was 
unic^ue.     It  will  be  the  first  church  raised 
amidst  the  eternal  snows  of  Upper   India, 


232  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WIIJSON. 

and  all  planned,  executed,  and  money  raised 
in  a  single  month.  Xine  months  will  tin- 
ish  it." 

Tlie  journey  between  Mussooree  and  Sim- 
lah  was  full  of  hai-d^hips  and  perils,  but  it 
was  safely  accomplished,  and  on  the  3d  of 
June,  at  an  elevation  of  seven  thousand  two 
hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the 
Bishop  makes  this  record  : 

"We  arrived  here  this  morning,  attcr  a 
march  of  four  hours.  Judge  of  my  dflight, 
■when  a  packet  of  seventy-one  letters  and 
papers  was  placed  on  my  table;  and  this  in 
addition  to  forty-three  sent  out  to  me  on  the 
preceding  day.  But  I  am  -too  mucli  fatigued 
to  enter  on  them.  My  spirits  also  are  over- 
whelmed. The  impression,  on  a  first  reading, 
is  thankfulness  to  the  God  and  Father  of  all 
grace  for  His  goodness  to  the  most  unworthy 
of  His  creatures. 

"Saturday,  June  4th.  A  calm,  delightful 
repose  of  eight  honrs,  in  our  nice  bungalow ; 
perfect  quiet ;  no  jabbering  tongues  of  three 
or  four   hundred   natives,  at    half-past   two 


LIIK    (>!•'    li!^iE^O^    WILSOX.  233 

o'clock  in  the  morning;  no  bugle  sounding 
at  four  o'clock ;  no  exliausting  march  of 
three  or  four  hours.  AVhen  our  camp  from 
below  has  come  up  with  my  books,  papers, 
and  implements  of  l)usiness,  I  hope  to 
sit  down  for  four  months'  diligent  work  in 
this  charming  climate.  But  one  hundred 
and  fourteen  letters  rather  overwhelm  me. 
1  have  been  at  present  only  able  to  take 
them,  like  Hezekiah,  and  spread  them  before 
the  Lord.  I  have  twice  done  so — expanded 
them  on  mj  desk,  turned  them  over,  and 
prayed  for  each  individual  who  has  written 
them,  especially  for  the  sixty-six  brethren 
assembled  in  Islington,  who  signed  the  letter 
of  January  5th. 

"  First  Sunday  after  Trinity — June  5th. 
Blessed  be  this  holv  morn !  All  calm,  all 
inspiring  peace  and  gratitude.  I  am  sitting, 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  my  roonj, 
with  its  windows  open  all  around,  and  the 
sun  just  making  its  way  over  the  eastei-n 
hills.  There  is  not  a  sound  to  interrupt  the 
moments  of  communion  with  the  Author 
20* 


234  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

and  Preserver  of  my  blessings.  But  some- 
thing more  is  wanting  than  external  repose 
and  opportunities — even  Thy  Grace,  0  hUss- 
cd  Saviour  /—or  the  suul  cleaves  to  the  dust 
still,  nor  rises  ever  towards  Thyself.  Quick- 
en Thou  me  according  to  Thy  word  !  Three 
of  our  party  are  likely  to  be  conliucd  from 
church  from  over-fatigue  npou  the  march, 
and  sleeping  for  nine  days  in  damp  tenths. 
They  have  smart  fevers.  I  owe  my  own  ex- 
emption, under  God,  to  the  better  tents  pro- 
vided for  me,  and  the  less  fatigue  I  underwent. 

"  But  I  must  break  off.  1  have  no  books, 
no  robes,  no  sermons,  and  am  waiting  for 
their  coming  up  before  the  time  for  service." 

The  Bishop  remained  at  Sindah  four 
mouths,  the  quiet  being  n)ost  grateful  to 
liim  after  a  period  of  con^^tant  labor. 

There  being  no  clergyman  at  the  station, 
lie  celebrated  Divine  service  twice  every  Sun- 
day, assisted  by  his  chaplain,  his  leisure  houre 
during  the  week  being  occupied  in  preparing 
a  volume  of  sermons  for  the  press,  to  gratify 
the  oft-repeated  application  of  his  friends. 


(LbapUv  dEightcciitJT. 


AGAIX  ON   THE    MARCH — TRAXSITIOX    FKOM   COOL  TO  HOT 

TAKES     BOAT     AT     IJOOPUR XO     VAIN     BOAST THE 

WATCH-HOCSE    OF    LAHORE — JOURNEY   TO    KURNAUL 

FIRST  ORDINATION  OF  A  BRAHMIN  CONVERT — ROMAN 
CATHOLIC  PRIESTS  SENT  FOR  IN  HASTE — ARRIVAL  AT 
DELHI— COLONEL  SKIXNEr's  NOBLE  VOW— CONSECRA- 
TION OF  ST.  JAMEs'  CHCRCII- IMPRESSIVE  SCENE — 
AGRA  —  TRYING  WHEEL-CARRIAGES  —  CONDITION  OF 
ROADS — NEW  YEAR  AT  BAREILLY — SOWING  IX  TEARS, 
AND     REAPING     IN    JOY  —  FITTYGHCR — CAWNPORE  — 

DIFFICULTIES     SETTLED— EXTENSIVE    CHARITIES FUT- 

TEHPORE I'lLGHIM-TAX ABOLITION      OF      AN      EVIL 

PRACTICE — DEATH  OF  BISHOP  CORRIE — PASSAGE  TO 
CALCUTTA — THANKSGIVING. 


/f^  X  the  10th  of  October,  1836,  Bishop 
"Wilson  once  more  began  Iiis  march. 
The  change  from  the  cool,  bracing, 
mountain  air  to  the  sultry  climate  of 
the  plains  was  very  great,  but  there 
was  no  alternative.  Two  days'  travel 
brought  him  to  Roopur,  on  the  river  Sutlej, 
where  huge  boats  were  in  readiness  to  bear 
the  party  onward. 


236  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

"While  gliding  down  the  stream,  tlic  Bishop 
was  uj^on  the  deck,  and,  looking  towards  the 
territory  of  the  Punjab,  then  scarcely  known, 
exclaimed  aloud,  '*  I  take  possession  of  this 
land  in  the  name  of  my  Lurd  and  blaster, 
Jesus  Christ."  The  prosperous  condition  of 
missions  in  that  region  now,  shows  that  it 
was  no  vain  boast. 

Landing  at  Lodianal  (whicii  wjis  then  the 
watch-house  for  Lahore,  and  tlie  frontier  sta- 
tion on  the  English  side  of  the  livcri,  he 
found  about  one  iiundred  Christians  residing 
there,  for  whose  benefit  ho  at  once  made  ar- 
ranirements  for  the  erection  of  a  dnirch. 
The  usual  sservices  were  held,  Confirmation 
and  the  Holy  Communion  administered,  and 
a  lay-reader  appointed. 

Passing  tlirough  Sirhind  and  Kajjxiorah, 
the  Bishop  othciated  at  Umballah,  and  came 
next  to  Kurnaul,  an  important  station,  with 
a  large  church.  Two  Sundays  were  given  to 
this  place,  a  great  impression  being  made  by 
the  services.  More  than  a  hundred  soldiera 
were   confirmed.      An    ordination    was   also 


LIFE    OF    BISnOP    WILSON.  237 

held — Anund  Musseeh,  a  Brahmin  convert 
of  fifreen  years'  standing,  being  admitted  to 
deacon's  orders.  There  seemed  but  one  ob- 
jection to  this — the  fact  that  Anund  Mus- 
seeh's  wife  remained  a  heathen,  and,  by  the 
wise  rule  of  the,«primitive  Church,  no  candi- 
date could  be  admitted  to  the  ministry  unless 
his  whole  family  had  become  Christians. 
Bishop  AVilson  ho|)ed  for  the  best.  It  was 
the  first  na:ive  he  had  ordained,  and,  indeed, 
the  first  Brahmin  ever  admitted  to  holy  or- 
ders in  the  English  Church.  The  new  deacon 
was  ajjpointed  to  labor  at  Kurnaul,  under 
the  direction  of  the  chaplain.  Among  the 
multitudes  that  had  ai tended  ujion  the  Bish- 
op's nlini^trati<lns  was  a  number  of  Roman 
Catholics,  who  afterwards  called  to  thank 
him  for  his  sermons.  Some  of  the  more 
zeahuis  had  become  so  alarmed,  that  they 
sent  in  haste  to  Calcutta  for  a  priest,  "  to 
stay  the  plague."' 

The  nuxich  was  resumed  on  the  14th  of 
November,  and  four  days  afterwards  the 
company  reached  Delhi.     Here  the  Bishop 


238  LITE   OF   BISnOP    WILSON. 

was  to  consecrate  a  church,  which  had  been 
built  at  the  sole  expense  of  Colonel  Skinner 
— quite  a  celebrity  in  his  way.  Brought  up 
in  the  camp  from  his  earliest  years,  he  had 
seen  much  hard  service,  and  on  enterinjr 
Delhi,  with  a  conquering  army,  he  made  a 
vow,  while  gazing  t)n  its  countless  domes 
and  minarets,  that  if  he  ever  possessed  the 
means,  he  would  there  erect  a  temple  to  the 
only  true  God.  Twenty  years  passed  by,  but 
he  did  not  forget  his  vow ;  and  when  the 
government  offered  to  aid  him  in  his  work, 
he  nobly  insisted  on  doing  it  all  him.<elf. 
And  now  he  stood  before  the  Bisho]),  a  tall, 
Btout,  dark  man  of  fifty-six,  clad  in  a  military 
dress  of  blue,  silver,  and  steel,  with  a  he-avy 
helmet  on  his  head,  a  broadsword  at  his  side, 
and  a  red  ribbon  on  his  breast — to  sav  that 
the  church  was  finished,  and  to  beg  that  it 
might  be  consecrated.  Jlis  sons  were  Chris- 
tians, as  he  was,  but  his  wife  remained  a 
Mohammedan,  though,  as  he  said  with  tears, 
"  a  better  wife,  for  more  than  thirty  years,  no 
man  ever  had." 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  239 

The  Bishop  instantly  drove  with  him  down 
to  the  church.  It  was  a  beautiful  Grecian 
building,  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  with  hand- 
some porticoes  at  each  extremity,  three  of 
them  forming  entrances  with  flights  of  steps, 
the  fourth  closed  in  and  appropriated  for 
the  chancel.  The  body  of  the  building  was 
circular,  and  surmounted  by  an  ornamented 
dome,  cupola,  and  cross.  The  flooring  was 
marble,  and  a  temporary  desk  and.  pulpit 
served  for  the  present  occasion.  The  whole 
effect  was  very  chaste  and  beautiful.  The 
Bishop  was  delighted,  and,  mindful  of  the 
founder,  called  it  St.  James,  and  lixed  ^o- 
vember  22d  for  the  consecration. 

On  that  day  a  large  congregation  assem- 
bled, and  a  very  striking  and  impressive 
sermon,  going  a  good  deal  into  detail,  was 
preached. 

After  the  consecration,  the  whole  European 
society  of  Delhi  met  at  Colonel  Skinner's 
hospitable  abode,  and  expressed  their  deep 
gratitude  to  him.  They  also  requested  the 
publication  of  the  Bishop's  sermon  as  com- 


240  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

memorative  of  the  day.     A  most  kindly  feel- 
ing pervaded  every  mind. 

A  Coniirmation  followed,  and  the  Colonel, 
with  his  three  sons,  knelt  at  the  altar  to 
dedicate  himself,  as  he  had  previously  dedi- 
cated his  church,  to  tlie  service  of  God.  The 
scene  was  very  impressive,  and  the  Bishop's 
address  moved  all  to  tears.  At  the  con- 
clusion, the  Colonel  himself  attempted  to 
express  his  acknowledgments,  hut  words 
failed,  and  he  wept  silently,  whilst  the 
Bishop  prayed  that  the  kindness  shown  to 
the  house  of  his  God  might  be  returned 
sevenfold  into  his  own  bosom. 

After  a  visit  of  ceremony  to  the  old  King 
of  Delhi,  and  the  transactiou  of  much  im- 
portant business,  the  Bishop  proceeded  to 
Agra,  where  Sir  Charles  Metcalfe  was  now 
the  permanent  Governor.  Three  weeks  were 
spent  here — a  churcli  consecrated,  a  soldiers' 
chapel  licensed,  frequent  services  held,  and 
much  good  accomplished. 

By  this  time  the  Bishop  had  become  very 
weary  of  the  monotony  of  camp  life,  and  the 


LTFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  241 

disturbed  nights  in  his  palanquin,  and  on 
leaving  Agra  he  resorted  to  wheeled  car- 
riages and  relays  of  horses,  by  which  he  out- 
stripped the  slower  movements  of  his  large 
company.  The  roads  were  dreadful,  and 
Bishop  Heber,  who  had  passed  over  the 
same  route,  compares  them  to  a  farm-j'ard 
first  trodden  into  deep  holes,  and  then  frozen 
hard  ;  and  says,  that  "  though  a  buggy  can 
go  over  them,  since  it  can  go  anywhere,  yet 
they  were  never  meant  for  buggies  nor  bug- 
gies for  them." 

Stopping  for  service  at  Allyghur,  he  trav- 
ersed eighty  miles  more,  and  came  to  Ba- 
reilly,  where  the  year  1837  dawned  upon 
him.  The  attempt  to  build  a  church  at  this 
place  was  violently  opposed  by  the  officer  in 
command,  who  insisted  that  the  Government 
ought  to  do  all  this,  and  he  argued  the  ques- 
tion at  his  own  table,  in  the  presence  of  his 
invited  guests.  The  Bishop  was  taken  so 
completely  by  surprise,  that  he  burst  into 
tears   and   attempted    no  reply.     God    took 

care  of  His  own  cause,  and  the  party  had  no 
21 


242  LIFE  OF  msiior  wir.sox. 

sooner  left  the  dining-room  tlian  a  subscrip- 
tion was  opened,  and  a  handsome  sum  put 
down.  Christ  Clmrch,  Bareilly,  was,  in  due 
time,  erected. 

Another  rapid  journey  of  forty-eight  miles, 
through  Furreedpore  and  Futteligunge-  to 
Jellahibad,  on  January  5th,  f( (Mowed  by 
another  of  equal  distance,  varied  by  a  pas- 
sage across  the  mighty  Ganges  on  January 
6th,  brought  the  Bishop  safely  to  Futtyghur, 
where  he  foimd  an  excellent  chajilain,  a  good 
church,  and  all  things  in  order.  Much 
pleasant  intercourse  toc>k  place  here  witli 
friends,  wlio  were  gradually  passing  down 
the  country  from  Sinihili  ;  ihe  germes  of  mis- 
sionary work  were  watched  and  encouraged  ; 
the  church  and  burial-grounds  were  conse- 
crated ;  Divine  services  wei e  performeti ;  the 
Holy  Sacrament  and  Confirmation  admin- 
istered ;  an^  tlion  tlie  l'i>ln)p  rejoined  the 
camp  for  a  few  days'  quiet  march.  The 
sportsmen  went  out  and  provided  the  table 
with  wild  geese,  as  on  the  other  side  of  India 
it  had  been  provided  with  peacocks. 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  243 

On  January  14th  the  Bishop  entered  the 
large  station  of  Cawnpore,  and  rested  in  the 
cliaphiin'.s  iioiise.  He  seemed  himself  to  be 
no  worse  for  the  efforts  he  had  made,  but  all 
his  company  suffered  greatly,  and  over  some 
of  them  the  shadow  of  death  for  a  time  had 
passed.  It  requires  a  certain  knowledge  of 
India  to  understand  the  effect  of  these  forced 
marches,  hurried  journeys,  and  constant  ex- 
posure. 

Cawnpore  covered  an  extent  of  seven  miles, 
and  contained  three  thousand  Christian  inhab- 
itants, although  it  had  no  church  building. 
The  state  of  society  was  by  no  means  favor- 
able   to  true   religion,   and   unpleasant   dis- 
agreements  had    taken    place    between    the 
commanding  officer  and  one  of  the  two  resi- 
dent  chaplains.     We  can  not  go  into  details, 
and  can  only  speak  of  results.     The  Bishop 
went  to  the  bottom  of  the  difficulties  and 
decided  the  several  disturbing  questions  with 
his  usual  promptness.     Before  his  visit  was 
ended,  he  had  preached  several  times,  con- 
firmed, visited    schools   and    hospitals,    con- 


244  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

secrated  four  burial-grounds,  held  an  ordina- 
tion, and  laid  the  corner-stones  of  two 
churches — towards  the  erection  of  which  he 
gave  two  thousand  rupees  out  of  his  own 
purse.  His  charities  were  scattered  broad- 
cast over  India,  and  he  delighted  in  nothing 
more  than  in  helping  torward  God's  great 
work  in  that  heathen  land. 

Leaving  Cawnpore  on  tlic  Gth  of  February, 
he  officiated  on  Ash-"\Vcdnesday  at  Futteh- 
poor,  and  on  the  11th  inst.  was  welcomed  at 
Allahabad,  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Pratt,  the 
chaplain.  The  grand  annual  fair  was  about 
to  close,  and  immense  crowds  of  ]»ilgrims 
were  paying  their  tax  of  one  rupee  each. 
The  Bishop  stood  for  a  long  time  in  the 
strongly  barricaded  office,  where,  by  a  Chris- 
tian hand,  this  tax  was  taken  and  a  corre- 
sponding ticket  issued,  admitting  the  bearer 
to  tlie  margin  of  the  sacred  stream.  Upon 
the  production  of  the  ticket  another  Chris- 
tian hand  stamped  a  red  signet  on  the  de- 
votee's right  arm,  whicli  authorized  him  to 
bathe,  and  realize   its  supposed   beatitudes. 


LITE    OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  245 

The  Bishop  looked  upon  tlie  frenzied  mul- 
titude, the  hideous  assemblage  of  idols,  the 
town  of  straw  huts  raised  on  the  river 
banks,  the  countless  flags  indicating  Brah- 
niinical  establis'  iiients,  and  the  pilgrim,  now 
shaved,  bathed,  marked,  and  jjcnniless,  retir- 
ing from  the  scene  with  a  little  vessel  of  the 
sacred  water  to  be  carried  liome — if,  indeed, 
he  ever  reached  his  home. 

In  the  contemplation  of  all  this,  he  says 
that  "  he  was  never  so  affected  since,  two 
years  before,  he  had  stood  at  Juggernaut." 

He  soon,  however,  roused  himself  to  etibrt. 
He  first  sought  out  the  despatch  of  the  Home 
Government  in  February,  1S33,  absolutely 
prohibiting  the  collection  of  the  tax.  He 
then  obtained  one  of  the  tickets  which  was 
really  issued,  and  is  still  preserved,  num- 
bered 76,902,  and  bearing  a  stamp  and  an 
inscription  in  Sanscrit,  Persian,  and  English, 
for  the  admission  of  one  Jattree,  or  pilgrim, 
to  the  stream.  He  gathered  up  all  the 
statistics  also,  casting  the  balance  between 
profits  and  loss,  and  inquiring  from  the  best 
21* 


246  LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

authorities  the  probable  expenditure  of  hu- 
man life.  And  upon  all  this,  as  a  founda- 
tion, he  raised  the  superstructure  of  a  strong 
personal  appeal  to  the  Governor-General. 

He  wrote,  moreover,  to  th6  Society  for 
Promoting  Christian  Knowledge;  and  his 
strong  statements  obtained  immediaie  pub- 
licity, and  the  widest  circulation  in  England 
and  India.  Private  letters  were  also  written 
to  Fowell  Buxton,  the  Pev.  F.  Cunning- 
ham, and  other  influential  and  philanthropic 
friends ;  and  thus  he  did  his  part  to  overthrow 
the  evil  wliich  had  been  so  long  and  so  ably 
denounced  by  others.  How  far  his  repre- 
sentations may  have  been  eft'ectual  in  India 
does  not  appear.  But  before  the  year  was 
ended,  the  tax  was  abolished. 

The  station  at  Allahabad  was  very  hand- 
some, the  situation  agreeable,  the  class  of 
residents  superior.  A  cliurcli  was  rising 
effectually,  though  amidst  some  strife  and 
dissension.  A  long  stay  was  not  required. 
The  usual  services  were  rendered  on  the  one 
hand  and  fully  appreciated  on   the  other ; 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  247 

and  then  the  Bishop  took  his  passage  in  the 
steamer,  and  dropped  down  the  river  on  his 
way  to  Calcutta.  Two  dajs  afrerwards  lie 
heard  of  the  deaili  of  Bishop  Corrie,  of 
Madras. 

"How  can  I  describe  my  feelings?"  he 
says.  "I  have  this  morning  heard  of  the 
sickness  and  death  of  my  honored  and  be- 
loved brother,  Bishop  Corrie.  Oh,  what  will 
become  of  India!  Here  I  am  again  left 
alone,  with  three  dioceses  on  my  single  hands. 
Dearest,  dear  Corrie  !  Only  one  year  and  a 
quarter  in  his  diocese!  It  was  on  the  6th 
of  February  that  the  lamented  event  took 
place.  Blessed  man  I  he  has  entered  into 
rest.  Never  was  there  a  more  exalted,  meek, 
consistent  Christian.  No  one — not  even 
Bishop  Ileher — has  filled  a  more  important 
station  in  the  general  propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  India.  All  Hindoostan  loved  him. 
He  inspired  universal  confidence.  There 
was  a  gentleness  of  chai-acter,  a  quietness  of 
spirit,  and  a  boldness  in  the  profession  of 
Christ,  which  are  rarely  combined.     Well,  it 


248  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

is  the  Lord.  His  ways  are  in  the  deep,  and 
His  judgments  past  finding  out.  He  can 
raise  up  instruments  at  His  pleasure.  May 
he  be  graciously  present  witli  his  widowed 
Church." 

Mirzapoor  and  Chunar,  the  scene  of  Bishop 
Corrie's  earlier  labors,  were  next  visited. 
Four  days  were  given  to  the  wonders  of 
Benares  and  the  interesting  labors  of  the 
Church  missionaries. 

Ghazecpore,  Buxar,  Dinapore,  Monghir, 
Bhaugulpore,  and  liampore  Bcauleah  were 
successively  touched  at.  "  Of  all  these 
scenes,"  the  Bishop  says,  "  Hebcr's  descrip- 
tion is  perfect  and  most  lively.  He  was 
then  new  to  tiiem.  They  met  him  early. 
We  come  to  them  with  minds  satiated  with 
sights,  and  bodies  exhausted  with  heat." 

On  the  13th  of  Maivh  tlie  Bishop  reached 
home,  having  spent  two  years  and  a  lialt"  In 
his  visitation.  "I  cannot  enter  upon  any 
one  duty,  this  first  morning  aftei-  njy  arrival 
in  Calcutta,"  he  writes,  "without  humbly 
ofifering  my  praises  to  the  great  Giver  of  all 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOK-  249 

o-ood  for  the  preservation  vouchsafed  to  His 
unworthy  servant.  Thirteen  thousand  five 
hundred  miles  have  been  traversed,  and  the 
whole  diocese  of  India  visited,  though  not  in 
all  parts ;  and  now  I  return  in  safety  and,  I 
can  thankfully  add,  in  perfect  health.  I  feel, 
in  truth,  far  better  this  morning  than  when 
last  1  left  Calcutta.  Oh,  for  internal,  spirit- 
ual, ecclesiastical,  domestic,  personal  peace 
in  Christ  Jesus,  amidst  the  changes  and 
trials  which  I  must,  and  do,  and  ought  to 
expect." 


Chapter  ^incttcntlj. 

HOME  WORK  ONCE  MOEE — FCNERAL  SERMOX  FOR  BISII01:» 
CORRIE — A  FEW  WEEiIS  WELL  FILLED  UP — SHORT  MIS- 
SIONARY    TOUR — CITY    OF     KRISHNA — THE     FAITHFUL 

WEITBRECHT SCRIPTURAL      NAMES AN      ELEPHANT 

TEACHING    A    LESSON    OF    PATIENCE LOSS    OF    FRIENDS 

THE    BEGINNING  OF    1838 PREDICTION  COXCEKXINO 

THE  "  OXFORD  SCHOOL"  OF  THEOLOGY — SERMON  BY  A 
BRAHMIN  CONVERT — IGNORANCE  OF  DECORUM — RE- 
FLECTIONS ON  EASTER  DAY — ENTERING  UPON  HIS 
SIXTY-FIRST    YEAR. 

f^\  OME  work  began  once  more.  The 
Mj)  usual  Lent  services  were  going  on 
^  at  Calcutta,  and  Bishop  Wilson 
'^i^  availed  himself  of  one  of  tliese  oc- 
casions to  deliver  a  iuneral  sermon 
for  good  Bishop  Corrie.  "  All  India 
mourns,"  was  its  opening  sentence.  "  We 
have  lost  one  of  the  gentlest,  meekest,  most 
exalted  Christians  that  our  Church  has  ever 
known.  We  have  been  deprived,  for  the 
fifth  time,  of  a  chief  pastor  of  our  flocks, 
after  a  brief,  though  most  honorable  and  use- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  251 

fill  Episcopate.  We  have  lost  liim  at  the 
very  instant  when  his  presence  was  required 
for  the  solemn  office  of  consecrating  a  brother 
Bishop,  and  thus  settling  for  the  first  time 
our  Anglican  Apostolic  Church  in  India, 
with  her  appointed  pastors. 

An  immense  congregation  filled  the  cathe- 
dral, to  sliow  their  respect  for  departed  worth. 
The  Bishop  delivered  addresses  in  each  of 
the  city  chui'ches,  confirmed  five  hundied 
young  persons,  and  held  an  ordination,  be- 
sides attending  committee  meetings  of  vari- 
ous Churcli  societies,  visiting  schools,  and 
performing  other  work 

The  summer  proved  to  be  extremely  hot, 
and  Calcutta  was  one  huge  vapor-bath  ;  but 
his  labors  did  not  stop.  In  July  he  made  a 
ishort  missionary  tour,  to  visit  a  few  points 
which  had  been  passed  over  before- 
Interesting  letters  describe  what  was  done 
at  two  of  them. 


'*  KKISHNAGHtJK,130   MILES   FEOM   CALCUTTA, 

Jidy  24,  1837. 


f 

"We  arrived  on  Saturday  at  this  bigoted 


252  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSOX. 

centre  of  Hindoo  idolatry— the  city  of  Krish- 
na. Two  pious  missionaries  of  tlie  Church 
Missionary  Society  have  made  a  little  begin- 
ning. I  have  visited  their  schools,  and 
examined  the  children  in  the  Gospels,  sur- 
rounded by  hundreds  of  heathen  spectators, 
full  of  curiosity.  The  children  are  not  Chris- 
tians; but  they  replied  to  my  questions  with 
a  quickness  and  decision  (juite  delightful,  so 
that  all  the  crowd  iR-unl  the  word  o\'  the 
Gospel.  Besides  the  schools,  the  missionaries 
have  small  chapels,  where  they  confer  daily 
with  the  people  and  i)rcach.  Sometimes  two 
or  three  hundred  are  collected.  The  '  lewd 
people  of  the  baser  sort'  at  times  disturb,  but 
none  dare  injure  them.  They  have  no  adult 
converts  as  yet.  We  are  doing  all  we  can 
to  encourage  Christianity  and  help  on  this 
blessed  cause."' 

'•BcRDWAr,  AuffustGth,  1837. 

"There  is  a  little  church  here,  very  neat 

and  appropriate.     Yesterday  we  spent  four 

or  live  hours  at  the  mission-house,  which  is 

about  a  mile  from  the  town.     I  have  e.xam- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   ANaLSON.  253 

ined  a  hundred  and  fifty  native  scholars  from 
the  villages  around.  Kothing  could  be  more 
deliglitful.  Indeed,  what  I  have  seen  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Weitbrecht  gives  me  the  highest 
iiiipiessiun  of  their  talents,  character,  exalted 
piety,  excellent  sense,  and  simplicity  of  heart. 
I  am  charmed  and  edified. 

"  There  is  a  little  Christian  village  attached 
to  tlie  premises,  of  about  eighty  souls.  I 
visited  it.  A  neat  row  of  cottages,  raised  a 
little  from  the  earth,  gardens  for  each  family 
in  front  (Mr.  Weitbrecht  is  gardener,  archi- 
tect, and  every  thing),  a  fine  tank  before  the 
gardens,  three  rooms  in  each  cottage,  a  little 
nice  furniture,  beds,  tables,  chairs,  and  writ- 
ing-desk. A  picture  of  Robert  Hall  adorned 
one  of  the  walls.  The  men  and  women  came 
out  as  we  passed,  and  I  asked,  What  is 
this  child's  name?  Theophilus.  And  this? 
Abraham.  And  this?  Sarah  What  are 
your  several  occupations  ?  I  am  a  carpenter. 
I  am  a  tailor.     I  am  a  Hurkaru. 

"Thus  the  cleanliness,  comfort,  purity, 
diligence,  and   honest  employments  of  En- 


254:  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

glish  villages  begin  to  appear.  I  do  nof,  of 
course,  speak  too  contideutly  ;  but  if  life  is 
spared,  and,  instead  of  six  yeais,  Mr.  Weit- 
brecht  continues  forty,  there  is  nothing  I 
should  not  hope.  I  confirmed  nine  baptized 
adults  yesterday— all  hopeful,  and  most  of 
them  decided  Christians. 

"Tell  my  grandchildren  that  an  elephant 
here  had  a  disease  in  his  eyes.  For  three 
days  he  had  been  completely  blind.  His 
owner,  an  engineer  officer,  asked  my  dear 
Dr.  Webb  if  he  could  do  anything  to  relieve 
the  poor  animal.  The  doctor  said  he  would 
try  nitrate  of  silver,  which  was  a  remedy 
commonly  applied  to  similar  diseases  in  the 
human  eye.  The  huge  animal  was  ordered 
to  lie  down  ;  and  at  first,  on  the  a[)i)lication 
of  the  remedy,  raised  a  most  extraordinary 
roar  at  the  acute  pain  which  it  occasioned. 
The  efl:ect,  however,  was  wonderful.  Tiie 
eye  was,  in  a  manner,  restored,  and  the 
animal  could  partially  see.  The  next  day, 
when  he  was  brought,  and  heard  the  doctor's 
voice,  he  lay  down  of  himself,  placed    his 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  255 

enormous  head  on  one  side,  curled  up  his 
trunk,  drew  in  his  breath — just  like  a  man 
about  to  endure  an  operation — gave  a  sigh 
of  relief  when  it  was  over,  and  then,  bj  trunk 
and  gestures,  evidently  wished  to  express 
his  gratitude.  What  sagacity  !  What  a 
lesson  to  us  of  patience  !" 

Soon  after  his  return  from  this  tour,  the 
Bishop  lost  two  of  his  friends  and  associates, 
Dr.  Mill,  the  Principal  of  the  College,  and 
his  private  chaplain,  Mr.  Bateman,  both  of 
whom  were  obliged  to  go  to  England  for  the 
benefit  of  their  health.  A  third  (Sir  Benja- 
min Malkin),  no  less  dearly  loved,  was 
stricken  down  by  death.  "  I  never  had  such 
a  blow  (he  writes)  in  ihe  loss  of  a  friend. 
Thank  God  for  his  religious  character  ;  liis 
inward  piety  (which  I  doubt  not  far  exceeded 
wliat  his  modest  and  silent  carriatre  allowed 
him  to  speak  of) ;  his  constant  attendance, 
twice  on  the  Sunday,  at  cliui-ch  ;  his  delight 
in  religious  conversation  and  family  prayer. 
Yes,  I  doubt  not  he  is  now  in  the  presence 
of  his   Redeemer,    a   glorified    and    happy 


256  LIFE  OF  BISHOP  ^^^LSOK. 

spirit.  But  we  are  indeed  left  desolate. 
Calcutta  is  desolate  ;  his  family  and  circle  of 
friends  are  desolate  ;  the  many  religious  and 
benevolent  institutions  he  nourished,  are 
bereaved  of  one  of  their  purest,  ablest,  sweet- 
est, and  most  valuable  members.  Oh,  that 
I  may  '  hear  the  rod,  and  who  liath  appoint- 
ed it !'  My  daughter  gone — my  son  and 
chaplain  gone — Dr.  Mill  gone — my  most 
intimate  friend  now  gone  !  Blessed  Jesus  !  be 
Thou  All  to  me — daughter,  son,  chaplain, 
adviser,  friend.  Thou  all-sutticient  Saviour, 
whose  self-existence  and  intinitc  fulness  for 
the  suppl)'  of  those  that  trust  in  Thee  are 
declared  in  Thy  name — •  I  am  Th.\t  I  am' — be 
Thon  my  refuge." 

The  beginning  of  183s  found  the  Bishoj) 
at  home,  and  rejoicing  in  some  evidences 
that  his  efforts  for  India  were  beginnini;  to 
bring  forili  fruit. 

The  caste  question  wa-^  <piiet,  for  a  timi' 
at  least,  and  seventeen  mi&sionaritti  were  oc- 
cupying the  field  where  lie  had  found  but 
two. 


LITE    OF    BISHOP    AVILSOX.  257 

About  this  period,  the  Bishop  examined 
the  writings  of  Mr.  Newman,  and  others  of 
his  school,  lie  writes  :  "  Kewman's  Pro- 
phetical Distpiisitions  are,  as  a  whole,  wrong 
— grossly,  glaringly,  dangerously,  incon- 
sistently wrong.  '  An  enemy  hath  done  this,' 
may  be  written  over  the  title  of  his  volume, 
AVa5  ever  anything  so  impudent  as  the  con- 
demnation he  passes  on  Hooker,  Jewell,  and 
all  the  leaders  of  the  Reformation,  till  he 
comes  down  to  Laud  !  '  My  soul,  come  not 
tlinu  into  their  secret;  unto  their  assembly, 
mine  honor,  be  not  thou  united.'  No;  if 
we  cannot  stand  against  the  reproduction 
of  these  school  suldleties,  we  are  unworthy 
of  the  name  of  Protestants.  If  no  one 
brother  will  unite  with  me,  I  am  ready  to 
l»rotest  alone  against  this  egregious,  drivel- 
ing Fatuity." 

A  few  gleanings  from  Bishop  "Wilson's 
journal  will  furnish  the  most  interesting 
account  of  this  period. 

"  Shalimar.  Epiphany,  January  Gth, 
1S3S.     On  Thnrsday  evening  I  had  the  sin- 


258  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

gular  delight  of  hearing  Krishna  Mohun 
Banerjea,  my  Brahmin  convert,  preach,  for 
the  second  time,  in  English,  in  the  old 
church.  It  is  an  extraordinary  thing,  surely, 
that  a  Hindoo  college  student,  only  live  or 
six  years  ago  rescued  from  the  gulf  of  infi- 
del metaphysical  Pantheism,  should  not  only 
have  embraced,  but  be  able  to  expound  and 
teach,  in  a  very  competent  manner,  the 
Christian  religion.  Ilis  amazing  extent  of 
English  knowledge,  his  good  style  and 
propriety  of  accent,  augment  tli(>  surprise. 
May  God  preserve  liim  steady,  humble, 
dilisrent.     I  tremble. 

"  Calcutta,  Easter-Eve,  April  Uth.  I 
have  just  had  three  ofiicers  of  the  fleet  with 
me,  to  beg  me  to  patronize  a  i>l:iy  to  be  got 
up  for  the  faniine  fund.  'No,  gentlemen,' 
said  I,  '  that  is  impossible.  You  could  not 
wish  me  to  undo  all  I  have  been  doing  my 
whole  life  ;'  and  1  bowed  them  out.  "NVliat 
a  profound  ignorance,  even  of  decorum  ! 

"  Easter-Day.  April  15th.  May  we  rise 
to  greater  newness  of  lite  with  our  triumph- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON,  259 

ant  Lord  !  This  is  my  sixth  Easter  in  India. 
Soon  it  will  be  said,  'His  bishopric  let 
another  take.'  Oil,  to  end  well  !  I  am 
jealous  over  myself.  (1)  I  would  examine 
my  heart.  (2)  I  would  search  into  my 
administration  of  this  vast  diocese.  (3)  I 
would  suspect  myself,  especially  on  two 
l^oints — where  the  natural  selfishness  of  man 
blinds  his  judgment  of  his  own  actions — and 
as  to  sj^iritual  affections,  where  decays  of 
grace  begin.  Lord,  raise  me  up  with  Christ. 
"  Calcutta,  July  1st.  I  close  to-day  the 
sixtieth,  and  enter,  please  God,  to-morrow, 
the  sixty-first  year  of  my  age.  My  sermon 
at  the  cathedral  is  from  Gen.  xxxv.  1,  3.  I 
am,  as  it  were,  about  to  go  up  with  Jacob, 
and  build  an  altar  to  the  God  that  appeared 
to  me  in  the  day  of  my  distress,  and  kept 
me  in  the  way  which  I  went.  How  import- 
ant are  the  denunciations  of  Scripture  against 
the  world,  worldliness,  secularity,  the  name 
to  live  when  we  are  dead,  leaving  our  first 
love,  being  neither  cold  nor  hot,  under  the 
highest  professions  of  knowledge  and  faith  I 


260 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 


These  are  the  dangers  I  feci,  because  they 
creep  insensibly  on  the  unconscious  heart, 
and  because  public  life  now  for  forty  years 
has  been  wearing  away  the  gloss  and  bloom 
of  internal  piety,  and  rendering  the  revival 
of  them  more  difficult.  Simplicity  once 
gone,  how  hard  to  restore  I  In  this  view  I 
look  upon  the  trials  sent  me  as  memorials  of 
mercy,  warnings,  voices,  compensating  dis- 
pensations, needful  medicines  for  the  soul, 
the  chastisements  of  a  heavenly  Father." 


apttr  flucntittl). 


ANOTHER  CHARGE  TO  THE  CLERGY — "  THE  TRACTS  FOR 
THE  times'' — SETTING  OUT  ON  A  SECOND  VISITATION 
— REMARKABLE    ANSWER    TO    PRATER — A  NEW  FRIEND 

GRIEF   FOR  THE    DEATH  OF   SIR  BENJAMIN   MALKIN — 

STATE  OF  CHURCH  AFFAIRS  AT  MALACCA — GOD's  UN- 
SEARCHABLE JUDGMENTS — SINGAPORE — A  WHOLE  COM- 
MUNITY "COMING  round" CHITTAGONG SIR  WILLIAM 

JONES AERIVAL    OF    A    NEW    CHAPLAIN — THE    BISHOP 

EESUMES  HIS  OLD  COLLEGE  DUTIES — COURSE  OF  LENT 
LECTURES — PLANS  FOR  BUILDING  A  NEW  CATHEDRAL 
"my  LORD,  IT  IS  ALL  YOURS" LAYING  THE  COR- 
NER-STONE— THE    GREAT  WORK   BEGUN. 

j^^X  the  Oth  of  July,  1S3S,  Bishop  Wil- 
son delivered  a  ciiarge  to  the  assem- 
^\2J^■  hied  clergj  in  Calcutta.  Besides 
y^^  giving  a  full  account  of  his  visita- 
tion, and  the  general  condition  of 
mir^sions  in  India,  the  charge  con- 
tained his  solemn  protest  against  all  doctrines 
and  practices  tending  to  undo  the  work 
which  cost  Cranmer  and  his  fellow-sufferers 
their  lives.  The  Bishop  embarked  immedi- 
ately afterwards,  with  his  good  friend  Cap- 


262  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

tain  Clark,  of  the  brig  Ilattrass,  and  set  out 
on  his  second  visitation. 

On  'the  26th  of  August  he  thus  records 
God's  merciful  providence  towards  them  : 

"I  have  been  returning  grateful  tlianks  to 
our  Redeemer  for  Ilis  answer  to  our  prayers 
on  Friday  last.  On  that  morning  I  com- 
mended our  ship  to  the  Divine  mercy,  en- 
treating favorable  winds,  and  bciririnir  that 
the  judgment  of  the  captain  might  be  guided 
what  to  do ;  for  our  stores  were  falling  short, 
and  it  seemed  almost  necessary  to  return 
upon  our  track,  tlie  wind  was  so  directly  and 
obstinately  adverse.  Not  an  hour  had  passed 
afterwards,  when  the  wind  changed,  we  ran 
by  the  island  of  Junk  Ceylon,  and,  instead 
of  putting  back,  we  have  been  going  on 
steadily  for  two  days.  Surely  a  more  re- 
markable, and,  as  it  were,  tangible  answer 
to  prayer  has  seldom  occurred  to  me  in  the 
whole  course  of  my  life.  Accordiu'Hv  I 
have  composed  and  delivered  a  sermon  to- 
day on  Ps.  cxvi.  1,  2,  subject,  '  Affectionate 
gratitude  to  God  the  dutv  of  those  who  have 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  263 

been  delivered  in  answer  to  prayer,'  The 
divisions  were— First :  A  state  of  distress 
supposed.  Second:  Deliverance  in  answer 
to  prayer  commemorated.  Third:  Resolu- 
tions of  grateful  love.  Application :  The 
happiness  of  religion,  which  works  chiefly 
by  gratitude  to  God,  the  fountain  of  good. 
The  misery  of  sin,  whicli  consists  of  ingrati- 
tude and  neglect  of  God,  the  only  source  of 

joy." 

Having  followed  the  Bishop  so  closely  in 
his  first  visitation,  it  will  be  needless  for  us 
to  do  this  now.  AVc  'f>lnill  only  refer  to  the 
most  interesting  incidents.  At  Penang,  he 
found  in  the  Jiew  Recorder,  Sir  William 
]!^orris,  an  excellent  friend;  but  (he  loss  of 
Sir  Benjamin  Mulkin  weighed  heavily  upon 
his  spirits.  The  Hatirass  carried  down  to 
the  island  the  first  jiews  of  liis  death,  and  the 
grief  was  universal.  In  the  charge  recently 
delivered  in  Calcutta,  the  Bishop  had  publicly 
borne  testimony  to  his  worth;  and  he  at- 
tempted to  read  the  extract  when  addressing 
the  congregation  on  the  first  Sunday  morn- 


264-  LIFE    OF   BISHOP   'WILSON. 

ins.  But  the  whole  audience  were  in  tears, 
and  his  own  feelings  were  so  overpowered 
that  lie  was  obliged  to  call  the  Archdeacon 
np  into  the  pulpit  to  finish  the  quotation. 

At  Malacca  he  found  the  Dutch  church, 
which  had  been  resigned  to  him,  fitted  up 
with  all  suitable  conveniences.  A  reading- 
desk  was  provided,  the  pulpit  was  removed, 
the  communion-table  inclosed,  a  vestry  built, 
and  new  pews  erected,  so  as  to  iiiciease  the 
accommodation.  Porch  and  belfry  were  also 
added,  and  every  thing  prepared  for  him. 

Moreover,  another  of  the  missionaries  con- 
nected with  the  Chinese  College  and  the 
London  Missionary  Society,  a  !Mr.  Evans, 
applied  to  him  for  admission  into  holy  orders. 
The  decision  in  his  case  was  j>ostjx)ned,  as  it 
had  been  in  the  case  of  Mr.  Hughes,  till  the 
Society  had  been  communicated  with,  and 
had  bidden  him  "  God-speed."  P>om  that 
quarter  there  w;is  no  difficulty.  But  it  is  sad 
to  record  that,  when  all  hinderanceci  were 
removed,  and  the  way  made  plain  for  the 
reception  of  these   two  excellent  men,  and 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  265' 

the  fulfilment  of  their  conscientious  desires, 
lliey  both  died  of  cholera  within  a  very  short 
period  of  each  other.  The  Eishoji  refers  to 
this  melancholy  bereavement  on  January  9tli, 

1841: 

"  Conceive  my  distress  at  receiving  a  letter 
from  the  Governor  of  Singapore,  dated  De- 
cember 7th,  conveying  the  melancholy  ac- 
count of  the  death  of  both  Mr.  Hughes  and 
Mr.  Evans  by  cholera — the  first  on  November 
25th,  the  second,  after  interring  his  friend, 
on  Xovember  2Sth.  Ko  particulars.  Each 
seems  to  have  been  seized  unexpectedly,  and 
to  have  died  within  four  hours.  Oh,  n)y 
S9,viour!  how  unsearchable  are  Thy  judg- 
ments! Two  of  the  best  men  in  India  cut 
ofi'  in  the  prime  of  life  and  health,  and  just 
at  the  moment  when  plans  of  usefulness  were 
opening  before  them.  Kever  since  I  have 
been  in  India  has  the  Church  suflTered  a 
greater  loss.  For  themselves  the  change 
was  blessed,  but  for  survivors,  alas  !  the  blow 
is  most  severe.     Still  it  is  the  Lord  ;  let  Him 

do  what  seemeth  Ilim  good." 
•rA 


266  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

At  Singapore,  he  found  the  church  whicli 
had  cost  him  so  nuicli  care  and  pains  on  his 
former  visit,  completed  and  ready  for  cor.so- 
cration.  But  it  was  chiimed  by  a  })ortion  of 
tlie  subscribers,  who  were  not  members  of 
the  Church  of  England,  as  their  own  j>rop- 
erty  ;  and  a  protest  against  its  consecration 
obtained  sixteen  signatures,  and  was  j)re- 
sented  to  liim.  lie  never  had  a  harder  task 
than  to  arrange  this  matter  of  common  hon- 
esty. But  he  dealt  very  gently  with  it. 
The  Governor  was  iirm,  and  the  result  good. 
A  public  meeting  was  held  to  consider  the 
matter,  at  which  the  whole  case  was  so 
clearly  explained,  that  the  protest  was  with- 
drawn, and  tlie  petition  for  consecration 
signed  by  fifty-one  persons.  All  were  eon- 
ciliated.  One  opponent  offered  to  collect 
money  for  an  organ;  a  second  undertook  to 
raise  a  tower ;  the  Archdeacon  gave  a  bell ; 
the  Resident,  a  clock.  "  1  never  saw  a  whole 
community  come  round  so  well,*'  says  the 
Bishop.     "  To  God  be  the  praise  !" 

Chittagong  was  now  visited,     lliis  was  a 


LU'E   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  267 

new  station  to  the  Bishop,  and  the  fallow 
ground  had  to  be  broken  up.  Situated  on 
the  coast  of  Arracan,  the  novelty  of  every 
thing  and  the  exquisite  beauty  of  the  scenery 
charmed  him.  iiut  there  was  no  church, 
no  Divine  service,  no  Sunday  observance,  no 
charitable  institutions,  no  exhibition  of  Chris- 
tianity. An  occasional  visit  of  the  chaplain 
from  Dacca  aft'^rdcd  tlic  only  means  of 
grace. 

Plans  were  at  once  set  on  foot  to  remedy 
all  this.  A  puhlic  meeting  was  called,  and 
it  Wits  determined  to  erect  a  church.  Sixteen 
hundred  rupees  were  contributed  on  the  spot. 
The  iJifchop  gave  live  hundred  for  himself, 
and  five  hundred  from  the  Christian  Knowl- 
edge Society.  An  application  to  government 
and  a  grant  from  the  Church-building  Fund 
completed  the  five  thousand  rupees  required  ; 
and,  as  in  so  many  other  cases,  a  church  was 
reared  at  Chittagong. 

A  house  in  the  immediate  neigliborhood, 
frequented  by  the  celebrated  Sir  "William 
Jones,  was  visited  with  much  interest.     It 


268  LITE   OF   BISHOP   "WILSON. 

stood  upon  the  summit  of  a  hill  commanding 
a  magnificent  view  of  tlie  sea  on  one  side, 
and  the  mountain  range  ujjon  tlie  other,  and 
was  called  Jaffierbad.  Ilis  sturly  was  pointed 
out ;  l)Ut  all  Avas  falling  into  ruins. 

The  various  leligious  services  connected 
with  the  visitation  were  thoroughly  appreci- 
ated. Not  a  soul  was  absent  on  any  occa- 
sion. "Never  Avas  there  a  station,"  says  the 
Bishop,  "M-hich  needed  a  visitation  more; 
and  never  one  where  we  succeeded  more 
completely  in  the  great  ends  in  view.  Our 
host  was  Mr.  II.  T.  Eaikes,  sou  of  the  excel- 
lent chancellor  of  Chester."' 

On  November  21st  he  left  Chittajrons, 
and  on  the  23d  arrived  safely  in  Calcutta. 
"  I  have  hardly  yet  turned  round,"  he  says, 
on  entering  the  palace  ;  "  but  gratitude  for 
the  Divine  meicy  should. swell  in  my  heart, 
when  I  consider  four  months  of  absence 
without  any  one  calamity." 

In  January,  1839,  the  Bishop  was  cheered 
by  the  arrival  of  the  Rev.  John  H.  Pratt, 
his  new  domestic  chaplain,  the  son   of  his 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  269 

old  tutor  and  dear  friend,  the  Rev.  Josiali 

Pratt. 

About  this  time,  two  of  the  Professors 
of  Bishop's  College  being  obliged  to  leave 
their  pos  s,  on  account  of  failing  health, 
Bishop  Wilson  came  forward,  and  once 
more  assumed  the  otiice  of  Tutor  and  Vice- 
Principal,  thus  adding  greatl}^  to  liis  labors, 
but   recalling,    very   pleasantly,    his    earlier 

days. 

A  course  of  Lent  Lectures,  this  season,  on 
"The  Lord's  Prayer,"  attracted  very  large 
congregations;  indeed,  the  church  was  so 
crowded  that  he  began  to  think  the  time  had 
come  for  building  a  new  cathedral.  The 
su"-o-«stion  was  so' favorably  received,  that 
at  the  -last  of  the  Lent  Lectures  he  an- 
nounced his  intention  to  the  twelve  hundred 
persons  present.  "I  thought,"  he  said,  "I 
should  never  have  such  a  favorable  oppor- 
tunity again  ;  and  that,  to  express'  a  firm 
purpose  on  my  part,  was  one  step  towards 
success,  amidst  the  timid,  vacillating,  shifting 

population  of  India." 

23* 


270  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

The  Bishop  entered  upon  this  work  with 
the  utmost  enthusiasm,  as  may  be  seen  from 
the  frequent  mention  of  it  in  his  journal.. 

Having  applied  to  Colonel  Morrison,  the 
Governor  of  Bengal,  to  grant  him  a  suitable 
lot  for  the  cathedral,  his  request  met  with 
the  kindest  reception.  The  Bishop  makes 
this  note  on  the  14th  of  June  :  "  I  wrote  on 
the  morning  of  the  12th  to  the  Governor  of 
Bengal,  and  begged  him  not  to  resign  me  to 
the  Military  Board,  but  to  put  me  at  once  in 
possession  of  my  ground,  and  let  me  mark  it 
out  the  same  evening.  He  did  so.  He 
wrote  a  note  from  Council  to  Colonel  Mac- 
leod.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  that 
d^y?  yo"  would  have  seen  me  standing  on 
the  ground — about  one  thousand  feet  by  six 
hundred — and  have  heard  Colonel  Macleod 
telling  me, '  My  lord,  it  is  all  yours.  Choose 
whatever  part  you  prefer  for  your  cathedral.' 
I  seemed  to  myself  like  Moses  surveying 
from  Mount  Pisgah  the  promised  land.  I 
figured  to  myself  my  beautiful  spire,  rising 
up  two  hundred  and  twenty  feet — the  finp, 


LITE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  271 

deeply-buttressed  Gothic  nave,  chancel,  and 
transepts,  marking  the  massive  grandeur  of 
the  Christian  religion,  the  magnificent  organ, 
sounding  out,  '  Thou  art  the  King  of  glory, 
O  Christ !' — my  native  presbyters,  in  th^ir 
snow-white  vestments,  walking  down  the 
aisles,  the  Christian  neophytes  responding  in 
the  choir,  and  Jesus  acknowledged  as  the 
Lord  of  all. 

"  But,  hush,  my  foolish  heart !  All  future 
things  are  with  thy  God  and  Saviour,  who 
oft  abashes  human  projects,  and  dashes 
them  to  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel.  God's 
will  be  done.  I  liave  called  the  cathedral 
St.  Paul's,  to  denote  the  doctrine  which  will 
ever  be  proclaimed  by  its  ministers,  and  llie 
example* of  tenderness  and  fidelity  which 
they  will  ever  exhibit.  I  have  fixed  June 
ISth  for  issuing  my  proposals,  because  it  is 
the  anniversary  of  my  leaving  England,  and 
completes  my  seventh  year  ;  and  because  it 
is  the  anniversary  of  the  victory  of  Waterloo, 
emblematical,  I  hope,  of  the  spiritual  victoiy 
of  Christ  in  my  cathedral.     The  next  step  is 


272  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

to  see  and  get  the  plans  drawn  and  arranged. 
I  wish  I  were  an  architect.  But  I  am  not." 
The  Bishop  saved  every  rupee  he  could, 
towards  the  carrying  out  of  his  noble  design, 
and  spared  no  pains  to  interest  his  friends, 
far  and  near,  in  the  work  so  dear  to  his 
heart.  On  the  9th  of  Octol)er,  the  first  stone 
of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral  was  laid,  with  solemn 
ceremonies  and  an  appropriate  address.  All 
preliminary  measures  having  been  arranged, 
the  work  jjroceeded  as  rapidly  as  could  be 
expected. 


A  MACEDOXIAX  CRT — WONDERFUL  AWAKENING  AMONGST 
THE  NATIVES — PUTTING  THE  SICKLE  INTO  TUE  HAR- 
VEST  TUE    BISnOP    GOES    HIMSELF^  TO    SHARE    IN    THE 

GLORIOUS  WORK — SEYENTY-TWO  NATIVE  VILLAGES  IN 
ONE   MISSIONARY   CIEOUIT — THE   BAPTISM   AT  ANUNDA 

BASS "  WE  RENOUNCE  THEM  ALl" — THE  BISHOP  GOES 

ON  HIS  WAY  REJOICING — A  CITY  SET  ON  A  HILL — QUIET 
REBUKE  AVHICH  ACCOMPLISHED  ITS  PURPOSE — LAND 
MARCH  BEGUN — TWO  CHURCHES  CONSECRATED  AT 
CAWNPORE— THE  SAME  DUTY  PERFORMED  IN  OTHER 
PLACES — '•  FAINT,  YET  PURSUING" — A  LONG  JOURNEY 
SAFELY  ENDED. 


//iSl.NE  day,  toNViirds  tlie  close  of  the  year 
1S3S,  a  native,  of  courteous  address 
and  tine  bearing,  brought  the  Bishop 
a  message  fiom  the  niis.sionaries  of 
Krisluiaghur,  informing  him  of  a 
gL'iieral  movement  amongst  the  na- 
tives towards  Christianity.  Hundreds  were 
seeking  for  instruction;  many  were  anxious 
to  be  baptized,  and  there  were  only  two 
missionaries  on  the  spot,  to  put  the  sickle 
into  the  ripening  harvest. 


274  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    "WILSON. 

After  a  little  delay,  Archdeacon  Dealtry 
and  the  Rev.  K.  M.  Banergee  were  sent 
down  to  Krislinaghur,  and  were  met  there 
by  two  other  missionaries.  They  found  the 
inhabitants  of  fifty-two  villages  exceedingly 
interested  in  regard  to  their  salvation,  and 
after  making  all  due  allowance  for  worldly 
and  selfish  motives  which  miffht  influence 
some,  there  were  thousands  who  seemed  to 
be  sincere  and  earnest. 

In  February,  1830,  the  Bishop  baptized 
one  hundred  and  thirty-five  native  converts 
at  Banipore,  and  confirmed  sixty  who  had 
been  baptized  before  his  arrival. 

Reports  coming  to  him  from  various 
quarters  conceining  the  progress  of  the  great 
work,  he  soon  afterwards  left  Calcutta,  pro- 
posing to  make  an  extensive  circuit. 

He  found  that  the  mission  in  Krishmiirhur 
had  already  assumed  a  distinct  form.  Sev- 
enty-two villages  were  embraced  within  its 
circuit,  seven  hundred  converts  having  been 
baptized,  and  several  tliousand  being  under 
a  regular  course  of  instruction.     Tlie  Bishop 


LIFE   OF   BISnOP   WILSON.  275 

went  from  station  to  station  examining, 
preaching,  encouraging,  and  confirming.  He 
visited  Krishnagliur,  Solo,  Ruttenpoor,  An- 
unda  Bass,  and  Ranobunda ;  and  said  lie  could 
hai-dly  sleep,  from  agitation,  joj,  and  anxiety 
to  direct  everything  aright.  He  describes 
the  baptism  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  con- 
verts at  Anunda  Bass  as  follows  : 

"  Xever  did  I  feel  the  beauty  of  our  bap- 
tismal and  confirmation  services  so  much  as 
this  morning — the  prayer  of  thanksgiving  of 
the  first,  the  laying  on  of  hands  and  suppli- 
cations of  the  second.  It  was  the  sign  and 
seal  and  first  day,  in  the  eye  of  others,  of  the 
new  birth  by  water  and  the  Spirit.  It  was 
the  descent  of  the  sanctifying  grace  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

"We  began  witli  examining  the  candidates 
for  baptism.  '  Are  you  sinners  V  '  Yes,  we 
are.'  '  How  do  you  hope  to  obtain  forgive- 
ness V  '  By  the  sacrifice  of  Christ'  '  What 
was  that  sacrifice?'  'We  were  dinners,  and 
Christ  died  in  our  stead.'  '  How  is  your 
heart  to  be  changed  V     '  By  the  Holy  Ghost.' 


276  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

'Will  you  renounce  all  idolatry,  fcasrs,  poo 
jahs,  and  caste?'  'Yes,  we  renounce  tlicin 
all.'  'Will  yon  renounce  the  world,  the 
flesh,  and  the  devil?'  'Yes.'  'Will  yuu 
sufi'er  for  Christ's  sake  ?'  '  Yes.'  '  Will  yon 
forgive  injuries?'  'Yes.'  Jn  a  word,  T  went 
over  all  the  branches  of  Christianity  with 
the  candidates,  and  finding  from  Mr.  Deerr 
that  they  had  for  a  year  or  more  been  under 
instruction  and  walking  consistently,  I  begged 
him  to  read  the  baj»tismal  service. 

"When  we  came  to  the  questions,  I  paused 
to  tell  them  of  the  seriousness  of  the  en^ajre- 
ment,  and  I  asked  the  whole  congregation  of 
the  baptized  if  they  would  be  witnesses  and 
godparents  to  these  candidates.  They  shout- 
ed out  tluit  tliev  would. 

"The  sight  was  most  touching — one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  souls  al)ont  to  enter  tlie  Chris- 
tian Church,  and  the  whole  of  the  Christian 
village  standing  sponsoi-s  for  them  I  Baptism 
was  then  administered  ;  and  I  stood  in  the 
midst,  and  received  them  into  the  ark  of 
Christ's  Church.     You  cannot   imairine  the 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  2Y7 

intelligent,  anxious  eyes  of  the  assembly  as 
this  was  iroino'  on." 

At  Kanobuuda,  two  hundred  and  fifty 
were  baptized  in  the  same  manner ;  and 
these  additions  to  the  Church  raised  the 
whole  number  to  above  one  thousand. 

Tiie  foundations  of  the  requisite  missionary 
buildings  were  next  laid,  a  sub-comuiittee 
was  ajDpoiuted,  tiie  four  missionaries  now  on 
the  iield  were  counselled  and  encouraged ; 
and  then,  on  November  1st,  the  Bishop  went 
on  his  way  rejoicing.  "A  good  and  great 
work  is  evidently  going  on,"  he  says.  "  But 
to  oppose  this,  there  is  cause  to  fear — 1.  Tem- 
poral motives.  2.  The  effect  of  the  relief 
granted  at  the  time  of  the  inundation.  3. 
The  countenance  and  presence  of  so  many 
Padres  and  ISahibs.  4.  The  influence  of  ex- 
ample and  popular  movement.  5.  The  insta- 
bility of  the  human  heart.  6.  Satan's  infinite 
craft.  But  ....  Time  will  show  who 
are  tares  and  who  wheat.'''' 

A  certain  measure  of  reaction  followed,  as 
it  always  does  ;  for  in  the  spiritual,  as  in  the 
24 


278  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

natural  world,  tlie  blossom  far  exceeds  the 
fruit.  It  proved  so  at  Krishnagliur.  The 
gathering  did  not  equal  the  ]»roiuise  ;  yet  a 
great  work  had  been  wrought.  A  true 
Church  was  gathered  out  of  the  world  of 
heathenism  ;  and  it  still  stands,  like  a  city  set 
upon  a  hill. 

The  Bishop  pursued  his  journey  through 
Berhampore,  stopping  at  Mourshedabad,  and 
then  passing  ou  to  Beauleacli,  Patua,  Gyah, 
and  Hazeerabagh.  At  the  last-named  place 
he  spent  Advent  Sunday,  and  administered  a 
quiet  rebuke  to  those  wbo  liad  suticred  ihe 
church  to  remain  two  year-  in  an  untinished 
condition,  by  holding  Divine  service  withiu 
the  four  walls,  which  had  neither  roof  nor 
floor.  The  lesson  was  so  salutary,  that  a 
pledge  was  given  that  the  building  should  be 
completed  in  two  months. 

He  preached  and  performed  the  usual  ser- 
vices at  Ghazeepore,  Jaunpore,  and  Benares, 
and  ofliciated  on  Christmas  at  Allahabad, 
where  the  river  was  left  and  his  laud  march 
began.     Captain  Hay,  a  gentlemanly  otiicer, 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  279 

commanded  the  camp,  which  numbered  more 
than  two  hundred  souls — tlie  Bishop  travel- 
ling S(jnietimes  in  a  h'.tle  phaeton,  and  some- 
times on  his  old  whit.-  '' ghoon."  or  liiU-pony. 

On  the  4th  of  Jai.uary,  1840,  the  company 
reached  Cawnpore,  where  two  churches  were 
consecrated,  and  thence  the  Bishop  proceeded 
to  Lucknow  and  Bareilly,  where  the  same 
agreeable  duty  was  performed. 

At  Meerut  tlie  services  were  extremely 
interesting,  being  at;cndeJ  by  a  large  num- 
ber of  soldiers  just  returned  from  the  first 
prosperous  campaign  in  Ati'ghanistan  and 
Caubul.  After  a  short  visit  to  Delhi,  the 
camp  moved  to  Ahmorah,  on  the  mountains, 
wliere  the  corner-stone  of  another  bill-church 
was  laid.  The  Bishop,  although  much  worn 
by  his  travels,  continued  on  his  w&y  across 
the  mountains,  and  on  the  24th  of  April  ar- 
rived safely  at  Mussooi  ee,  where  he  remained 
three  weeks.  Here,  also,  a  new  and  beautiful 
church  was  consecrated. 

From  this  point  he  parsed  on  by  the  lower 
route  through  Xahun,  to  Simlah.     His  brief 


280  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOX. 

sojourn  here  was  characterized  by  incessant 
activity.  Bidding  it  adieu,  witli  a  devout 
aspiration  for  God's  blessing  upon  it,  he  set 
out  on  his  return  to  Calcutta — consecrating 
churches,  and  performing  other  important 
duties  as  he  went — and  reachinsr  home  on 
the  3d  of  April,  1841.  "May  God  be  for- 
ever praised  and  magnitied,'"  he  says,  "  for 
all  His  goodne.-s  and  meiev  dui-inir  a  year 
and  a  half.  I  have  attended  church  once 
more,  though  I  took  no  duty.  It  will  require 
a  few  days  for  my  mind  to  calm  down  to 
regular  occupations.  Oh,  for  grace,  wisdom, 
power,  victory  over  self,  real  si)irituality, 
meekness,  preparation  for  sufleriug!'' 


Cl)a|)ter  f;iucn(i)-Sctoiiir. 

A  FEW  TROUBLES  TO  DISTDKB  THE  SMOOTH  CURRENT  OF 
EVENTS — OXFORD  THEOLOGY  AGAIX — THE  PLYMOUTH 
BRETHREN  MAKE  A  CONVERT — EFFORTS  TO  BRING  BACK 

THE   WANDERING    SHEEP WATCHING    THE    CATHEDRAL 

ALL    CALCUTTA    MAD    AFTER    THE    WORLD — A    SHORT 

VISITATION SUNDAY    AT    SYLHET IIIDING     IN     BOATS 

AND     ON     ELEPHANTS CHIRRA    POnNJEE — SUPREMACY 

OF   THE    HOLY    SCRIPTURES    DEFENDED — FIRST    METRO- 
POLITAN    VISITATION DOINGS     AT     MADRAS CASTE 

DIFFICULTIES — MOVING     ONWARD HHEXIA's     TOMB 

SYRIAN  CHURCHES DISAPPOINTED  HOPES AT  BOMBAY 

THANKSGIVING    SERMON    ON    REACHING    HOME. 

ISHOP  WILSOX  found  enou-^rh  to 
oociipj  hiin,  upon  his  return  to  Cal- 
cutta, and  some  things  which  trou- 
\§^^   bled  him  not  a  little. 

A  professor  had  been  sent  out 
from  England  to  fill  a  vacancy  in 
the  college,  whose  theological  opinions  were 
too  much  in  harmony  with  those  of  the 
Newman  school  to  please  him,  and  he  en- 
deavored to  have  him  recalled.  This  request 
was  refused. 

24* 


282  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    "WILSON. 

Another  anxious  matter  had  reference  to 
Mrs.  Wilson,  who  liad  done  a  great  deal  for 
the  promotion  of  female  education  in  the 
East,  Leaving  Calcutra  (where  she  had 
succeeded  admirably),  she  removed  to  Au- 
gurpara,  fourteen  miles  distant,  to  take 
chai-gc  of  a  large  orphan  asylum  Here  she 
Avas  cut  off  from  the  i)rivileges  of  the 
Church,  and  fell  in  with  a  denomination 
called  "  the  Plymouth  Brethren,"  who  spared 
no  pains  to  make  a  proselyte  of  her;  and, 
sad  to  relate,  they  succeeded  in  their  cflbrts. 
The  eflect  of  this  upon  the  Bishop's  mind  we 
prefer  to  give  in  his  own  words. 

"  Alas !  Mrs.  Wilson,  of  Augurpara,  is 
determined  to  secede  from  the  Church,  and 
join  the  Plymouth  Brethren.  You  start ! 
But  it  is  too  true.  I  derermined,  instantly 
I  heard  it,  to  go  down  with  the  Archdeacon 
and  ]\Ir.  Pratt,  and  see  what  an  interview 
Avould  do,  under  God's  blessing.  We  con- 
versed with  her  for  two  or  three  hours  with- 
out the  least  effect.  Yesterday  I  recapitu- 
lated   the  conversation    in    an   affectionate 


LIFE   OF  BISHOP   WILSON.  283 

letter,  and  offered  to  paj  for  the  support  of 
a  missionary  at  her  station,  if  the  Church 
Missionary  Society  would  not.  All  was  in 
vuin.  We  must  now  endeavor  to  save  the 
mission  and  orphans  if  we  can  ;  for  this  is 
only  the  beginning  of  the  fall.  My  com- 
fort is  to  cast  myself  on  my  Lord  Christ,  and 
submit  to  His  righteous  will  in  this  sharp 
affliction.  Her  apostasy  is  like  a  standard- 
bearer's  fainting;  and  all  aggravated  by 
opposite  errors.  Never  was  I  in  such  a 
plunge.  Xever  !  But  now  faith  must  have 
her  triumph,  faith  in  the  power  and  grace 
of  Christ,  faith  in  Ilis  love  and  wisdom." 

The  following  exti-act  from  his  private 
journal  will  show  that  his  annoyances  did 
not  end  here  : 

I  "April  Sth..  Every  moment  is  occupied. 
1  have  been  five  days  in  Calcutta,  and  four 
times  to  my  new  cathedral.  I  ride  round 
the  scaffolding  and  framework  of  the  build- 
ing every  morning  on  my  ghoont  (as  Nehe- 
miah,  on  his  beast,  around  the  desolations 
of  Jerusalem),  and  watch  the  progress  mak- 


284  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

ing,  and  the  different  views  the  cathedral 
will  present.  The  sun  will  not  allow  me  to 
visit  it  whilst  the  men  are  at  work. 

"  Easter-Monday,  April  12th.  Yesterday 
we  celebrated  onr  Easter.  The  Governor- 
General  and  his  family  not  present ;  neither 
were  they  last  Sunday,  nor  Good  Friday. 
The  collection  was  o;dy  one  thousand  and 
fifty  rupees,  instead  of  live  or  six  thousand, 
when  Lord  William  and  Sir  Cliarlcs  wore 
present.  The  Governor-Generarf  non-attend- 
ance encourages  ihe  judges,  members  of 
council,  commander-in-chief,  and  higher  civ- 
ilians to  a])sent  themselves.  AVe  had  only 
about  live  hun«h-ed  in  church.  All  Calcutta 
is  mad  after  the  world.  French  plays  are 
acted  at  Government  House,  a  new  theatre 
is  built,  two  Sunday  papers  desecrate  the 
Lord's  Day  ;  ifll  is  rushing  backwards,  as  to 
morality  and  religion,  with  a  refluent  tide. 
I  must  see  what  I  can  do.  r>ut  tlie  Loid 
Christ  and  His  Spirit  can  alone  awaken  a 
torpid  world  like  that  of  India.  We  must 
wait  and  pray." 


LIFE   OF  BISHOP   WILSOIT.  285 

On  the  Gth  of  October,  the  Bishop  left 
Calcutta,  proposing  to  visit  a  few  stations 
hitherto  omitted,  and  having  spent  a  short 
time  at  Barrackpore,  Bnrdwau,  and  Chin- 
surah,  he  embarked  on  a  8:eanier  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Sylhet  and  Cliirra  Poonjee. 
"Writing  of  Sylhet,  he  says  (under  date  of 
Sunday  morning,  IS^ovember  7th),  "I  ad- 
dressed, pretty  strongly,  a  party  of  sixteen 
here,  at  family  prayers,  last  night,  and  am 
now  thinking  what  sermon  I  can  best  select 
for  a  station  where  a  chaphiin  has  not  been 
for  a  single  day  for  three  years,  and  where  I 
shall  preach  only  once.  I  think  St.  John  v. 
24,  will  give  me  as  much  scope  as  any  ; 
'These  things  I  say,  that  ye  might  be  saved.' 
May  the  Lord  help  me  ! 

"  Mr.  Sealey's  house,  in  which  I  am,  is 
perched,  like  a  bird's  nest,  on  the  top  of  a 
little  hill,  perhaps  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  hi^h.  But,  as  it  is  a  cone,  the  whole 
circuit  of  the  ])lains,  covered  with  verdant 
and  thick  vegetation,  stretches  around  to  the 
horizon  with  its  green  mantle.     Tlie  contrast 


286  LIFE   OF  BISHOP   WILSON. 

with  the  heats  and  mosquitoes  is  inex- 
pressible." 

Concerning  the  other  new  station,  the 
Bishop  tlins  writes  :  "  Chirra  Poonjcc.  We 
are  four  thousand  feet  above  the  plains.  The 
thermometer  in  the  garden,  at  six  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  is  56^  ;  iii  the  house,  and  with 
a  liro,  at  eight  o'clock,  it  is  67\  A  wild 
kind  of  jonrney  of  fourteen  hours  brought  us 
here.  We  went  fiffoen  miles  in  a  covered 
boat  from  Chuttaek  :  then  mounted  ele- 
phants ;  then  I  got  into  a  tonjon  with  bear- 
ers ;  and  Mr.  Pratt  rode  on  a  ]>ony.  The 
place  is  very  Itleak  ;  and  though  doubly  and 
trebly  clothed,  and  sitting  by  a  fire,  I  am 
not  warm.  I  have  now  visite<l  all  the  hills 
but  Darjeeling. 

"  Chirra  Poonjee  is  not  mucli  frequented, 
for  the  water  is  bad,  and  the  climate  a  per- 
petual rain.  The  distance  from  Calcutta  is 
only  three  hundred  and  s-ixry  miles,  but  the 
access  is  difficult.  Sometimes  more  jrood  is 
done  in  these  desolate  places  thau  in  much 
larirer  ones. 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  287 

"At  Chuttack  (Mr.  Inglis')  we  liad  a 
family  of  seven,  and  many  in  tears  durino- 
the  service.  Three  were  confirmed,  and  the 
whole  seven  partook  of  the  Holy  Sacrament. 

"  We  are  on  the  south-eastern  frontiers  of 
our  Avonderful  empire.  Tiie  hill  people  are 
from  Thibet  and  China.  They  raise  rude 
altars  on  the  tops  of  mountains,  and  offer 
goats  in  sacritice.  "We  had  Divine  service 
on  Friday  ;  congregation  only  fifteen,  hut  so 
attentive,  it  was  delightful  to  observe  them. 
On  Sunday  there  were  two  services,  and 
Holy  Communion."' 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1842,  tlie  Bishop 
delivered  another  charge  to  his  clergy,  in 
M-hicli  he  strongly  defended  the  supremacy 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  same  evening 
he  set  out  on  his  first  metropolitan  visitation, 
proceeding  first  to  Moulmein,  Malacca,  and 
Singapore,  and  then  stretching  across  to 
Madras,  where  he  landed  on  the  23d  of 
November. 

Before  proceeding  further,  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient for  us  to  explain  that  a  Metropolitan  is 


•   288  LIFE   OF   BISnOP   WILSON. 

one  who  presides  over  the  other  bishops  of  a 
province  It  will  readily  be  perceived  that 
this  office  was  one  mo^t  difficult  to  be  exer- 
cised, and  whicii  reciuired  a  hirge  measure  of 
j;rudeuce. 

Dr.  Spencer  was  the  Bishop  of  Madras- 
and  it  was  in  his  diocese  that  Bishop  Wilson 
began  his  labors  as  Metropolitan.  Many 
matters  of  anxiety  had  to  be  discu.-sed,  many 
ditHcult  questions  settled,  niuiiy  wounds 
liealed.  lie  stayed  twenty  days,  delivered 
his  charge,  preached  many  times,  performed 
a  modilicd  course  of  duty,  and  then  deparied 
for  Ceylon.  ":Never,''  he  say.-,  "had  I  a 
more  difficult  series  of  ilnties  to  discharge 
since  I  came  tu  India.  Tiie  office  of  Metro- 
j)olitan  is  indeed  more  im})ortant  than  I 
could  have  conceived.'' 

The  Bishop  of  Madras  was  himself  <n 
visitation,  and  the  sliij)  (^hiviiig  landed  the 
Metropolitan  at  Xega[>atam,  on  the  coast) 
carried  him  on  hi.s  way  to  Trincomalee. 

yroin  Negapatiiiii,  tlie  journey  to  Tanjorc 
was  performed  by   land  ;   and  «;n  Decendjcr 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  289 

ITth  the  Bishop  of  Calcutta  found  himself 
once  more  received  into  the  same  Eesidency 
(though,  alas !  death  had  entered  it,  and 
changed  tlie  residents),  as  in  former  years. 
To  animate  these  missions,  aad  confirm  as 
Metropolitan  tlie  decision  he  had  passed  as 
Bishop,  was  iiis  great  object.  He  found  the 
mission  much  strengthened ;  hut  caste  was 
not  destroyed.  Bishop  Corrie  dealt  gently 
with  it;  and  Bishop  Spencer  had  to  learn  its 
evils.  Tiic  present  visit,  therefore,  was  not 
ill-timed  ;  foi*  seven  years  had  weakened  the 
impression  made  by  the  former  one  in  3  83G. 
The  venerable  Kohllioff  still  survived,  in  his 
eighty -first  year ;  and  the  native  priest, 
Nyanapragasen,  in  his  ninety-third. 

The  native  Christiaiie  flocked  in  crowds  to 
church  from  Tanjure  and  all  the  surrounding 
villages,  and  were  startled  by  the  determined 
and  uncompromising  condemnation  of  caste 
to  which  they  listened.  "  On  its  being  hon- 
estly and  irrevocably  abolished,"  said  the 
Bishop,  "  the  life  of  these  missions  depends." 

On  Christmas  Day,  services  were  held  for" 
25 


290  LIFE   OF   BlSriOP   WILSON. 

both  Europeans  and  natives,  and  four  hun- 
dred native  communicants  assembled  roinid 
the  Lord's  table.  jS^o  Cunfiiniation  was  ad- 
ministered, nor  any  conference  lield,  because 
of  an  unwillingness  to  interfere  in  iiny  way 
with  the  functions  of  the  diocesan. 

A  hasty  visit  was  also  paid  to  Trichinopoly  ; 
and  after  live  nights'  travelling  and  nine 
times  preaching,  in  sixteen  days,  the  Bishop 
returned  to  Negapatam,  and  tinding  his  ship 
ready,  sailed  for  Trincomalee.  Here,  "  being 
almost  worn  out,"  he  rested  for  six  days,  and 
was  refreshed  by  the  intercourse  and  friend- 
ship of  his  brother  of  Madras. 

On  the  5th  of  .luniiary,  1843,  Bishop  Wil- 
son embarked  at  Trincomalee,  and,  having 
narrowly  escaped  shij«wreck,  arrived  t-afely 
at  Colombo.  Here  tlie  charge  was  a.-ain 
delivered,  and  a  clause  introduced  interdict- 
ing the  clergy  from  coffee  plantations  and 
specidations.  The  several  stations  having 
been  duly  visited,  the  vessel's  head  was 
turned  towards  Tutocorin,  whence  the  south- 
ern missions  of  Tinnevelly,  Palamcotta,  and 


LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOX.  291 

Kazareth  (not  liitlierto  visited)  were  access- 
ible. But  wind  and  weatlicr  forbade;  and 
after  much  difficulty,  a  landing  was  effected 
at  a  desolate  spot  called  Poovera,  about 
twenty-five  miles  from  Cape  Cumorin. 

No  food,  no  shelter,  no  means  of  commu- 
nication presented  themselves  for  some  time. 
At  length  a  Roman  Catholic  priest  appeared, 
and  a  very  slender  knowledge  of  La! in  en- 
abled him  to  provide  the  party  with  food 
and  bearers.  At  each  halting-place  a  friend 
appeared  in  the  shape  of  a  missionary  of  the 
London  Society  ;  and  at  length,  af;er  great 
fatigue,  Palamcotta  was  reached,  in  the  night 
of  the  29th  January,  1843.  Seven  missiona- 
ries were  at  hand  to  welcome  the  Bishop. 
He  at  once  pronounced  the  "  peace"  enjoined 
by  Christ,  and  then  knelt  down  to  return 
thanks  for  the  preservation  and  guidance 
vouchsafed. 

Most  interesting  services  commenced  the 
next  morning.  At  dawn  of  day,  one  hundred 
catechists  and  schoolmasters  delivered  to  him 
a  poetical  composition  in  Tamul,  congratu- 


292  LIFE   or   BISHOP    WILSON. 

lating  him  on  liis  safe  arrival,  and  on  the 
joj  caused  by  the  sight  of  "  his  noble  face." 

Rhenia's  tomb  was  visited,  on  which  ap- 
pear the  words,  engraved  at  his  reqiu-st, 
"  My  judgment  is  with  the  Lord,  and  my 
work  with  my  God.''  These  words,  and  the 
tender  feelings  excited  by  the  visit,  were 
referred  to  by  the  Bishop  when  di'livt-ring 
his  charge  to  twelve  missionaries  of  l>oth  the 
Church  societies  next  day.  Station  after 
station  was  then  visited — missionary  after 
missionary  conferred  with. 

"There  are  glorious  heginnings  here,"  he 
said,  "and  it  is  delightful  to  talk  with  such 
calm,  well-educated,  }»iou8,  devoted,  8cnsil)le 
men,  who  know  what  thry  are  about.  I 
have  written  to  the  Bishop  of  ifadras,  to 
express  my  wonder  at  these  blessed  mis>ions, 
and  to  say  that  there  iiuist  be  twenty-four 
more  missionaries  sent  out — twelve  from 
each  society  ;  for  now  the  harvest  languishes 
for  want  of  reapers.  What  is  England  about, 
with  her  drivelling  controversies,  whilst  India 
is  in  vain  stretchiniir  out  her  hands  to  God  V 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP   WILSOX.  293 

He  went  about  everywhere  pleaching — 
now  in  tinislied,  now  in  \iniiuished  churches 
— now  in  tents,  and  now  in  the  open  air ; 
but  he  held  that  his  chief  work  lay  with  the 
missionaries  themselves ;  and  when,  on  the 
last  day  of  his  visit,  he  found  ten  suriound-i 
ing  him,  he  made  them  a  farewell  address, 
condensing  the  advice  he  had  previously  and 
occasionally  given  them.  In  the  evening, 
after  Divine  service  and  a  sermon  by  Mr. 
Pratt,  they  presented  a  touching  and  beau- 
tiful address,  acknowledging  the  Bishop's 
kindness  and  entreating  liis  prayers. 

He  turned  now  to  the  Syrian  churches  ; 
and  a  journey  of  fourteen  hours  from  Tri- 
vandruni  brought  him  lirst  to  Quilon,  and. 
thence  to  Cottayam.  The  reader  will  not 
have  forgotten  what  passed  at  the  previous 
visit.  But  he  has  now  to  learn  that  -all  the 
measures  then  suggested  for  the  improvement 
of  that  ancient  Church — for  the  extension  of 
education,  the  elevation  of  the  clergy,  the 
eradication  of  error — had  been  absolutely 
rejected.     Even  the  very  donation   left  by 

9n* 


294  LIFE   OF  BISHOP   WILSON. 

the  Bishop,  which  was  a  kuid  of  first-fruits 
of  an  endowment  for  the  Church,  was  treated 
as  a  bribe,  and  refused.  The  moment  he  hud 
retired,  the  bow  returned  to  its  usual  bent. 
The  Metran  was  again  in  the  ascendant,  and 
the  Church  had  sunk  too  low  to  desire  or  to 
compel  a  refoi-mation. 

So  far  had  this  gone,  that  a  covenant  was 
entered  into,  to  forbid  all  further  intercourse 
with  the  missionaries,  and  to  withdraw  all 
deacons  from  the  college.  "What  sinister 
influence  might  have  been  at  work  did  not 
appear.  One  unworthy  clergynian,  a  chap- 
lain of  the  company,  had  travelled  through 
the  country,  telling  the  people  that  crucifixes, 
and  prayers  for  tliu  dead,  and  all  the  super- 
stitions learned  from  Rome,  were  right ;  and 
that  the  missionaries  and  their  doctrines  were 
all  wrong ;  but  his  visit  had  been  short,  and 
he  had  been  forbidden  to  repeat  it. 

It  needed  not  this  to  unveil  the  matter. 
Further  acquaintance  with  the  Metran  and 
the  leading  men  had  developed  deep-seated 
evils,    and    explained    the    distaste    for    any 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  295 

change.  And  the  only  course  apparently 
left  open  was,  to  set  up  an  open  mission. 
This  course  had  been  accordingly  adopted 
by  the  missionaries,  and  sanctioned  by  the 
Bishop  of  Madi-as,  under  whose  license  they 
were  now  acting. 

A  great  change  was  thus  produced.  Hand- 
some churches  were  in  the  course  of  erection. 
The  propeity  attached  to  the  college,  which 
had  been  jointly  held,  was  now  divided. 
The  old  l.iuildings  had  been  left  for  the 
Syrians,  and  new  ones,  already  containing 
seventy  pupils,  had  been  raised  for  the  mis- 
sionaries. Primary  schools  were  multiplying 
on  all  hands,  and  about  seven  hundred  chil- 
dren were  under  instruction,  so  that  there 
was  good  promise  for  the  future.  But  it  was 
still  mingled  with  regret.  It  was  pleasant  to 
see  the  light  shining  in  a  dark  place;  but  it 
would  have  been  pleasanter  to  say  of  that 
ancient  Church,  "Thou  hast  the  dew  of  thy 
youth."  This  regret,  however,  was  unmin- 
gled  with  self-reproach.  Our  Church  had 
"  done  what  she  could."     She  had  held  out 


296  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  the  Syrian 
Church,  and  been  refused  ;  and  she  could  do 
no  more. 

At  Cottajani,  seven  missionaries  were 
assembled  to  receive  the  Bishop's  charge. 
Divine  service  was  celebrated,  the  Holy 
Communion  administered,  the  new  college 
examined,  and  then  he  passed  on  through 
Allepie  to  Cochin,  and  on  February  17th 
embarked  for  Bombay. 

The  voyage  was  long  and  weary,  and  he 
did  not  arrive  till  the  13th  of  March. 

"Hurry,  pressure,  contusion'' — sucli  is  the 
first  entry  in  the  juunial  at  Bombay.  "The 
Bishop  is  an  '  angel' — so  sweet,  humble,  and 
spiritually  minded ;''  such  is  the  second  en- 
try. The  charge  was  t»nee  again  delivered ; 
a  controversy  was  settled  about  the  erection 
of  a  memorial  to  the  troops  who  fell  in 
Affghanistan  ;  an  address  was  delivered  on 
laying  tKe  foundation-stone  of  a  college  in 
memory  of  Sir  Robert  Grant ;  much  pleasant 
intercourse  was  held  with  the  governor.  Sir 
George  Arthur ;  all  the  places  endeared  by 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  297 

former  recollections  were  revisited ;  and  then, 
on  April  3d,  the  Bishop  once  more  embarked, 
and,  after  calling  at  Goa  on  his  way,  reading 
through  a  volume  of  St.  Augustine,  and  suf- 
fering from  an  attack  of  gout,  he'  reached 
Calcutta  in  safety  on  Saturday,  May  12th. 

Thus  ended  a  journey,  by  land  and  water, 
of  eight  thousand  seven  hundred  miles.  On 
Sunday  he  preached  a  thanksgiving  sermon 
from  Psalm  Ixxi.  14,  16,  and  on  Monday  he 
writes : 

'*  I  luive  not  yet  been  able  to  compose  my 
mind,  the  change  is  so  great.  But,  oh  !  may 
God  give  me  wisdom  and  understanding  to 
go  in  and  out  before  this  so  great  people ; 
and  especially  to  stand  tirmly  and  unmoved 
in  defence  of  the  Gospel !  I  have  preached 
eighty  sermons  during  my  absence." 


r  ^tocntn-Tbirlj. 


ON  BOAED  SHIP — WORKS  OF  FAITH  AKD  LOVE — 8EBIOITS 
ILLNESS — CONSECRATION  OF  CHURCH  AT  AI.MORAH — 
PREPARING  A  BOOK  FOR  HIS  DIOCESE — FAREWELL  TO 
SIHLAH — ANOTHER  SEVERE  ATTACK THE  BISHOP  RE- 
TURNS    TO     CALCUTTA DEPARTURE     FOR     KNMJI.AND^ 

SUMMARY    OF    THIRTEEN    YEARs'    LABOR ONCE     MORE 

AT  ISLINGTON — WHAT  WAS  AClOMPLISHKD  DURING 
HIS  VISIT — A  LAST  FAREWELL — ARRIVAL  AT  CALCUTTA 
"  I  MUST  GO  softly" CONSECRATION  OF  THE  CATHE- 
DRAL—  ''DYING  charge"' — A  NEW  VISITATION    BEGUN. 


,X  the  17tli  of  October,  1S43,  Bishop 
Wilson  was  again  on  board  a  steamer 
bound  for  Ghazeepoor.  When  this 
jiuint  was  reached,  he  left  the  river 
and  resumed  liis  tent  life,  jourm  ying 
through  Gornackj)oor,  licnarch,  Al- 
lahabad, and  Futtehpoor.  At  the  last- 
named  place  he  closed  the  year. 

Passing  onward,  through  Futtehgur  and 
Bareilly,  he  came  to  a  new  mountain  station 
called  Nynee-Thal.  Tiie  visit  to  this  point 
was  too  early  in  the  season,  and  not  a  single 


LITE   OF    BISHOP    AVILSOX.  299 

European  was  in  residence.  Here  the  Bishop 
was  taken  very  ill,  and  was  with  some  diffi- 
culty removed  to  Almorah,  where  he  was 
confined  to  the  bed  for  several  days.  Rally- 
ing again,  he  consecrated  a  little  churcii, 
then  passed  on  to  Moradabad,  Shahjehan- 
poor,  and  Meerut ;  halted  for  Passion  Week 
and  Easter;  and  then  proceeded  to  Deyrah 
Dlioon,  Landour,  and  Mussooree.  "Want  of 
tents  for  the  hill  route  delayed  him  till  May 
14th;  and  it  was  not  till  June  1st  that  he 
arrived  at  Simlah. 

"  Simlah,  June  \st,  1844. 
"  Blessed  be  my  God  and  Saviour  for 
bringing  me  once  more,  after  four  years,  and 
after  a  journey  of  seven  months,  to  this  sta- 
tion, and  to  the  same  comfortable  house 
which  I  occupied  in  1840.  May  God  assist 
me  during  the  four  or  tive  months  of  repose. 
I  want  to  print  a  volume  for  my  diocese, 
after  eight  years — experimental,  simple,  ec- 
clesiastical, Indian,  aflfectionate,  final.  It  is 
clearly  '  now  or  never'  with  a  poor,  hurried, 
overwhelmed    bishop,    like    myself      Lord, 


300  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

revive  Tliy  work  in  the  midst  of  the  days. 
As  nature  sinks,  may  grace  wax  stronger  and 
stronger." 

While  remaining  at  Simlah,  besides  pre- 
paring the  vohime  just  referred  to,  he  en- 
couraged the  erection  of  a  new  and  larger 
church,  and  on  the  9th  of  Sei)tember  laid  the 
corner-stone.  Un  the  17th  of  October  the 
Bishop  left  ISimlah,  to  return  iiu  mure. 
While  tarrying  at  Umballah,  he  again  be- 
came alarmingly  ill ;  and  although  he  lioped 
the  illness  would  prove  to  be  but  a  temporary 
attack,  it  became  indispensable  to  take  a 
voyage  to  England.  As  soon  as  he  was  able 
to  move,  he  turned  his  face  to  Calcutta, 
where  he  arrived  on  the  26th  of  April. 
Meeting  Colonel  Forbes  at  the  cathedral,  he 
ofiered  humble  thanks,  and  dedicated  the 
edifice,  the  architect,  and  himself  to  Al- 
mighty God.  The  examination  ot  the  can- 
didates and  the  ordinations  followed.  Two 
hundred  young  persons  were  contirmed. 
Affectionate  addresses  were  presented  to 
him,  both  from  the  clergy  and  laity  of  Cal- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  301 

cutta ;  and  he  was  requested  to  sit  in  Eng- 
land for  a  marble  bust,  to  be  placed  in  the 
cathedral  library. 

His  fourth  visitation  was  held  ;  a  last  let- 
ter was  written  to  his  children,  announcing 
his  departure,  and  laying  upon  them  a  sol- 
emn charge  not  to  attempt,  either  by  word 
or  deed,  to  influence  his  mind,  or  persuade 
him  to  relinquish  his  conscientious  purpose 
of  returning  to  India;  and  then,  on  May  3d, 
accompanied  by  his  chaplain,  he  embarked 
on  the  Precursor  steamer  for  England,  via 
the  Red  Sea.  He  had.  been  in  India  nearly 
thirteen  years,  and  every  power  of  body  and 
mind  had  been  consecrated  to  God's  service 
there.  Fourteen  hundred  times  had  lie 
borne  witness  publicly  to  Christ.  His  sub- 
stance had  been  laid  upon  the  altar  of  sacri- 
tice.  lie  had  done  much  to  give  tlie  exten- 
sion of  the  Ejuscopate  a  right  bias,  and  three 
bishops  were  now  in  the  field.  Tiie  control 
of  the  Metropolitan  was  recognized.  His 
relation  with  the  Government  was  far  better 
understood.  Nothing  of  an  ecclesiastical 
2G 


302  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSOX. 

character  was  done  without  liis  cognizance 
and  approval. 

Bishop  Wilson  reached  En<,'land  on  the 
25th  of  June.  Once  more  he  was  in  Uie 
hosom  of  his  loving  family,  and  in  his  old 
home  at  Islington.  Friends  flocked  to  fteo 
him  from  all  quarters,  and  every  attention 
was  paid  him  which  the  higheat  respect  for 
his  character  and  services  could  suggest. 
Although  threatened  now  ;ind  thru  with  a 
return  of  his  disease — the  terrible  jungle 
fever — he  was  enabled  to  attend  to  much 
important  Church  business,  and  occasionally 
to  preach.  Queen  Victoria  presented  him 
witli  an  elegant  coniniunion  si-t  for  his  cathe- 
dral, and  friends  sent  in  their  contributions 
towards  the  missions  in  his  vast  diocese. 

But  now  the  time  drew  nigh  when  he 
must  bid  a  last  farewell  to  Ids  dear  native 
land.  The  romance  of  India  had  loner  since 
passed  away,  and  he  knew  all  that  awaited 
him  there,  in  the  shape  of  trials,  and  sac- 
rifices, and  labors.  But  none  of  these  things 
moved  him,  and   having  preached    bis   last 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOX.  303 

sermon  at  Islington  on  the  30th  of  August, 
1846,  he  took  an  affectionate  leave  of  all  who 
were  dearest  to  him  on  earth,  and  with 
invigorated  strength  went  forth  to  finish  the 
work  which  God  had  given  him  to  do. 

Landing  at  Calcutta,  on  the  14th  of  De- 
cember, he  drove  to  the  cathedral,  where  all 
the  clergy  of  the  city  had  assembled  to  wel- 
come his  return,  and  lie  offered  up  witli  them 
a  devout  thanksffivinjr  to  God. 

From  this  period  we  must  not  expect  to 
find  the  venerable  Bishop  as  active  as 
in  earlier  years.  "  I  must  go  softly,"  he 
said.  "  I  must  take  in  sail."  And  so  he 
did.  But  still  the  gradual  lessening  of  effort, 
the  contentment  with  daily  duties,  and  the 
general  superintendence  of  the  Ciiurch  were 
varied  by  many  novel  incidents  and  vigor- 
ous movements ;  so  that,  with  chastened 
expectations,  the  sunset  will  be  found  the 
pleasantest  part  of  the  day. 

Eight  years  had  elapsed  since  the  first 
stone  of  the  new  cathedral  had  been  laid, 
and  early  in  October,  1847,  it  was  ready  for 


304  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

consecration.  It  was  designed  to  answer  a 
threefold  purpose.  First,  it  was  to  be  a 
parish  church  for  a  large  district  of  Calcutta ; 
secondly,  it  Avas  to  be  served  by  a  body  of 
clergy  who,  under  the  designation  of  a  dean 
and  cliaptor,  were  to  bear  a  missionary  char- 
acter and  to  cari-y  out  missionary  objects  ; 
thirdly,  it  was  to  be  the  cathedral  of  the 
Meiropolitan  See  of  Calcutta— the  Bishop's 
sear  being  transferred  to  it,  and  all  i-piscopal 
functions  performed  in  it.  For  the  com- 
mencement of  the  second  of  these  designs  a 
large  endowment  fund,  amounting  to  nearly 
£30,000,  had  been  raised,  and  for  the  com- 
pletion (»f  it  a  similar  amount  was  still  re- 
quired. The  annual  income  thus  accruing 
would  have  sufficed  for  the  maintenance  of 
six  missionary  canons,  who,  with  the  addition 
of  the  archdeacon  and  six  honorary  cant>ns, 
would  have  constituted  the  dean  and  chapter 
of  the  cathedral. 

But  the  failuio  in  obtaining  the  Act  of 
incorporation  frustrated  this  part  of  the 
design  ;  and  the  funds  were  eventually  dis- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  305 

posed  of  in  ii  way  whicli  will  be  told  in  its 
place.  For  this  failure,  and  the  disappoint- 
ment consequent  uju»n  it,  the  Bishop  was  in 
no  way  responsible.  He  had  done  what  he 
could.  But  the  reluctance  of  the  East  India 
Company  Avas  not  to  be  overcome.  The 
"  better  times"  for  whicli  he  waited  are  yet 
future. 

Of  course  the  consecration  of  the  cathedral 
was  a  grand  occasion.  The  Bishop  preached 
for  an  hour  from  2  Chrojiicles  vi.  IS.  We 
must  allow  him  to  describe  the  scene.  "  It 
was  a  wimderful  siglit  for  India.  As  I  drove 
to  the  cathedral  at  ten  ox-lock,  the  whole 
space  around  it  was  rilled  witii  carriages  of 
all  descriptions,  in  the  most  picturesque 
groupes.  The  clergy  and  laity  were  waiting 
my  arrival,  6nrroun<le(l  with  multitudes  of 
spectators.  I  made  my  way  through  them 
with  verger  and  pastoral  staff,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded up  the  middle  alley  to  the  commu- 
nion-rails. The  petition  for  consecration  was 
then  read.  I  assented  ;  and  then  the  j)ro- 
cession  began,  repeating,  as  usual,  the 
20* 


306  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

twenty-fourth  Psalm.  The  other  forms  hav- 
ing been  gone  through,  the  morning  service 
commenced,  the  organ  leading  superbly  in 
the  chants.  Colonel  Forbes  was  sitting  near 
me.  I  turned  to  him  and  >aid,  '  ir<>w  huau- 
tifully  the  voice  is  heard  I'  When  I  ascended 
the  pulpit,  there  was  all  around  me  a  sea  of 
heads,  reaching  to  the  doorway  and  outer 
steps.  At  the  communion,  the  thirty-five 
clergy  kneeling  at  the  rails,  and  tlie  live 
ministering  within,  presented  to  my  mind 
an  overwhelming  sight.  AVe  retired  at  iialf- 
past  three  o'clock,  praising  and  blessing 
God  for  all  we  had  heard  and  seen.  The 
dinner  subsequently  went  nil"  udmirably 
well.  The  Governnr,  members  of  council, 
secretaries,  clergy,  etc.,  were  full  of  kindness 
and  love.  Can  I  wonder  that  the  Lord  sent 
me  a  '  thorn  in  the  flesh,'  a  '  messenger  of 
Satan  to  bufl'et  nio  C  X<».  I  rejoice  in  His 
chastening  hand." 

The  Bishop,  in  his. journal-letters  to  his 
children,  relates  many  things  which  hajv 
pened,  day  by   day,  but  these,  though  cer- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  307 

tainlj  interesting,  can  hardly  be  considered 
of  sufficient  inqiortance  to  be  permanently 
preserved  in  a  biography. 

In  the  autumn  of  1848,  after  delivering  his 
"Dying  Charge,"  as  he  called  it,  he^m- 
barked  for  Bombay,  to  enter  uj)on  his  second 
visitation  as  Metropolitan,  and  his  fifth  gen- 
eral visitation. 


«^  %t. 


Oapttr  ftucntii-iourtb. 

KEOEPTION  AT  BOMBAY COLOMBO OVERWORK  AT  MAD- 
RAS—  ILLNESS — Oi.UERED  TO  SEA — NEW  PALACE — 
VISITATION  RESUMED— TIIIRTT-SIX  DAYS  FULLY  OCCU- 
PIED  CONSECRATION  OK  A  CllUmil  IN  IIORNKO SICK- 
NESS   OF     PROFESSOR    STREET— THE     DIFFERENCES    UE- 

TWEEN    GOOD    MEN    FADING     AWAY IJROWINO    OLD 

ANOTHER  FAITHFUL  CHAROE PICTURE  DRAWN  BY  THE 

BISHOP  OF  VICTORIA — ARRIVAL  OP  A  GRANDSON — 
INAUCJURATION  OF  THE  EAST  INDIA  RAILWAY CON- 
SECRATION   OF    THE    HISHUP    OF    LABUAN. 

ISnOP  WILSnX  iraclK'd  r.ombay 
early  in  Dcceinl  er,  1S4S,  l>eing 
warmly  received  liy  Bishop  Carr 
^??¥^  and  his  cK-rjiy.  Hero  he  delivered 
his  charire,  and  jH-rformed  various 
duties  belonging  to  his  office  as 
Metropolitan,  and  then  proceeded  to  C'oloin]>o, 
in  Ceylon.  On  his  way  thither,  he  narrowly 
escaped  death,  from  tailing  through  an  open 
hatchway  on  the  lower  deck.  At  Colombo 
he  was  overwhelmed  with  kindness,  and  fin- 
ished the  year  by  preaching  in  the  cathedral 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  309 

before  the  Governor  and  a  large  congrega- 
tion. 

On  the  first  of  February  we  find  liim  at 
Madras,  now  left  destitute  of  a  bishop,  good 
Dr.  Spencer  luiviiig  returned  to  England 
with  a  constitution  much  shattered  by  the 
climate. 

Bishop  "Wilson  forgot  that  he  was  getting 
to  be  an  old  man,  and  labored  with  so  little 
regard  to  strength,  that  he  was  attacked  with 
a  low  fevei-,  and  was  hurried  ofi'  to  sea  by 
his  physician,  although  he  begged  to  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  long  enough  to  administer 
Confirmation  to  several  hundred  persons  who 
were  waiting  to  receive  it.  Once  more  at 
Calcutta,  his  recovery  was  rapid,  and  he  was 
able  to  discharge  his  duties  as  usual. 

Early  in  September,  1849,  he  took  j^osses- 
sion  of  a  new  mansion  which  had  been  pre- 
pared for  him,  and  he  thus  refers  to  it  in  his 
journal : 

"'This  is  the  first  day  I  have  come  over  to 
study,  and  write,  and  meditate.  I  sit  in  the 
third  story.     The  prospect  is  exquisite.     The 


310  LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WILSOX. 

cathedral  adjoin?  the  compound;  the  espla- 
nade stretches  unobstructed  to  the  south  and 
south-east;  the  air  is  delicious.  We  sliall  not 
come  to  live  here,  most  likely,  till  <»>ir  retuin 
from  visitation  ;  lor  we  start  a^^ain,  please 
God,  on  September  21st.  Now  I  desire  to 
dedicate  this  new  abode  to  Thy  glory,  O 
Lord!  May  every  succeeding  bisljoj)  live 
and  preach  Thy  Gospel  more  and  more 
clearly;  ni;iy  every  r«Kiiii  have  its  alUir  of 
prayer  aud  praise ;  and  may  this  change  1x3 
for  tlie  comfort  and  usefulness  of  Thy  serv- 
ant's successors,  and  the  glory  of  Thy  great 
and  holy  name." 

On  the  21st  of  the  m(»nth  his  visitation 
was  resumed  ;  and  in  the  usual  accommoda- 
tion boat  the  Bishop  ascended  the  river  to 
Allahabad,  and  then  droj)j>ed  down,  stopping 
at  the  various  stations,  and  performing  the 
required  duties.  With  these  stations  and 
duties  the  reader  is  now  familiar,  so  that  it 
will  be  sufficient  to  state  that  the  journey 
was  performed  in  safety,  and  Calcutta  re- 
gained on  January  22d,  1S50. 


LIFE   OF    BISIIOI'    WILSON.  311 

In  Auirust  of  this  year  he  made  another 
circuit,  a  summary  of  his  hil)ors  being  thus 
given  by  hiniMlf :  "In  tliiriy-six  days  I  have 
2)reached  eighteen  times.  The  good  seed 
sown  in  tliese  visitations  is  of  the  last  import- 
ance. 1  am  satisfied  a  Bithop  does  notiiing 
more  usefuh  The  tone  of  religion  is  raised. 
Individuals  are  touched.  The  clergy  are 
roused,  liut  I  shall  be  glad  of  rest  now, 
after  a  journey  of  two  thousand  miles,  and 
eierht  stations,  with  about  a  thousand  Chris- 
tians  altogether.  Most  of  these  have  never 
been  visited  before.  Jiesides  preaching,  I 
have  held  four  conlirnuiiions,  have  conse- 
crated one  church  and  cemetery,  and  opened 
two  others.  Eben-Ezer  I  Hitherto  the  Lord 
hath  helped  us.  Fine  weufther,  a  favorable 
entrance  amongst  the  peojde,  grace  sufficieni. 
good  health,  our  beloved  Church  strength- 
ened, error  denounced,  Christ  alone  exalted, 
many  souls,  I  hope,  blessed  forever — the~e 
have  been  the  characteristics  of  this  visita- 
tion." 

The  Bishop  had  hardly  got  rested,  after 


312  LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

this  journey,  before  he  received  a  letter  from 
the  Bishop  of  London,  begging  him  to  pro- 
ceed to  the  ishmd  of  13<»ine<»,  and  consecrate 
the  new  church  recently  erected  by  Sir 
James  Brooke,  the  liajuh  of  Sarawak.  A 
voyage  of  fourteen  weeks  and  a  journey  of 
four  thousand  miles  was  thus  suggested,  by 
the  stroke  of  a  pen,  to  a  Bishop  in  his 
seventy-third  year!  For  a  moment  his  heart 
sank  wiiliin  him;  but  he  had  never  vet  de- 
clined the  call  of  duty,  and  his  courage  soon 
revived.  lie  communicated  with  the  Gov- 
ernment, and  no  obstacle  juvsenting  itself,  he 
resolved  to  go. 

Setting  sail  on  tlie  llih  of  November,  and 
preaching  and  contirming  at  various  stations 
by  the  way,  he  Reached  Borneo  on  the  18tb 
of  January,  l>ol.  The  church,  though  not 
quite  covered  in,  was  consecrated  amidst  an 
imijieiise  assemblage  of  Chinese,  Malays,  and 
Dyaks,  from  all  i)arts  of  the  island.  It  was 
built  of  iron- wood  and  the  pahn-  ree,  and 
was  a  handsoujc  structuie. 

"Never,"  said  the  Bishop, ''  did  I  feel  such 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    WILSON.  313 

delight  in  consecrating  a  church.  The  site 
of  it,  two  years  ago,  was  covered  with  thick 
jungle;  and  Sarawak  itself,  ten  years  ago, 
was  desolated  by  pirates.  The  whole  is  next 
to  miraculous ;  and  if  the  evangelical  spirit 
govern  the  mission,  and  strong,  heroic  men 
can  be  sent  forth,  full  of  faith  and  love,  glo- 
rious things  may  be  anticipated  in  fuaire 
years." 

Many  services  were  performed  by  the 
Bishop  on  his  return  to  Calcutta,  where  he 
landed  on  the  14th  of  March. 

We  referred  in  a  former  chapter  to  the 
appointment  of  a  j)n.fL'6sur  in  the  College, 
with  views  which  gave  the  Bishop  much 
unea  iuess.  A  few  days  after  his  return  from 
Borneo,  word  M'as  brought  that  Professor 
Street  was  very  ill,  and  desired  to  see  liiuL 
lie  went  without  delay.  ''  His  appeaiance 
[says  the  Bishop]  was  death-like  ;  and  though, 
from  the  spasmodic  action  of  the  throat,  he 
could  not  speak,  yet  his  intellect  was  clear. 
I  simply  directed  him  to  the  bleeding  Lamb, 
and  His  one  ottering  for  sin,  in  a  few  strong 
27 


314  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    ^VII.-«^. 

words,  and  then  made  a  short  prayer  lo  tl.u 
same  effect,  mentioning;  tlie  righteousness  of 
Clirist  ahjue  for  justification,  and  the  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit  for  sanctification. 
I  then  kissed  liim,  pronounced  tlie  benedic- 
tion, and  retired." 

As  the  Bishop  was  leavin":,  the  dying  man 
raised  himself  in  his  bed,  and  with  a  great 
effort  said,  "God  bless  your  lonhiiij).''  This 
was  tlu'ir  hist  iiitcrvirw.  Tia-  Professor  died, 
and  the  Bishop  officiated  at  the  funeral. 

Thus  do  the  differences  which  divide 
Churclimen  fade  away  as  they  approach  the 
borders  of  that  better  wurhl  where  tiie  spirit 
of  controversy  and  (li^c^»rd  can  never  come. 

The  Bishop's  own  health  had  become  so 
feeble,  that  wiien  the  time  for  his  visitatittn 
to  the  upper  provinces  returned,  he  com- 
missioned the  ArchdeacMtn  to  go  in  his  j)lace 
and  look  after  ihe  atlairs  of  tlie  churches 
there.  Before  the  Aiehdeacon's  departure, 
another  faithful  ciiaige  was  delivi-red  lo  the 
clergy. 

In  January,  lbo'3,  the  Bishop  of  Victoria, 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  315 

who  liappened  to  be  in  Calcutta  at  the  time, 
attended  his  hundred  and  twenty -second 
clerical  meeting,  and  thus  describes  the 
Bishop  of  Calcutta  as  he  then  appeared  : 

"  It  is  one  of  the  most  noble,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  most  affecting  spectacles  I  have 
ever  witnessed,  that  of  an  aged  man  like 
him,  voluntarily  separated  in  his  last  years 
from  his  beloved  family  (and  my  presence 
when  he  read  his  last  letters  from  his  chil- 
dren enabled  me  to  perceive  how  greatly  he 
loved  them),  and  waiting  for  his  sunnnons  in 
humble  faith  and  love.  T  never  before  saw 
him.  I  shonld  inuij^ine  that  he  is  {jrettinj; 
feeble  in  body,  but  he  retains  a  wonderful 
amount  of  mental  energy  and  vigor,  and  sits 
up  nuiny  hours  in  the  day  to  his  desk,  read- 
ing or  writing.  The  voice  fails  him  most,  so 
that  he  does  not  now  preach  so  often,  but 
gives  most  powerful  expositions  at  morning 
and  evening  family  devotions." 

In  the  autumn  of  1854,  the  Bishop's  eldest 
grandson,  Daniel  Frederick  Wilson  (with  his 
wife),  arrived  in  Calcutta.     He  was  gladly 


316  LIFE   OF    BISUOP    WILSON. 

received,  admitted  into  Holy  Orders,  and, 
during  the  short  period  of  his  visit,  attached 
to  the  catliedial. 

At  the  counnencement  of  the  year  1854  a 
short  visit  was  paid  to  the  missionary  stations 
of  Ki-ishnaghur  and  Buidwau  ;  but  the  more 
lensthened  visitation  was  reserved  for  the 
autumn,  when,  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bloom- 
fiehl  as  liis  comj)anions,  tlie  Bisliop  ascended 
the  river  i<»  Alhihal»:id,  as  in  former  times. 

Here  he  stayed  a  week,  performing  the 
customary  duties,  and  liohling  an  ordination 
for  three  missionary  candidates,  one  of  wliom 
was  Daoutl  Singh,  of  Umritsir,  who  iiad 
nuiintained  a  steady  Christian  character  lor 
nine  years,  Tiien  droi>ping  down  the  river 
quietly,  he  performed,  without  fatigue,  the 
duties  of  each  !«uecessive  station,  and  havijig 
"  set  in  order  the  things  that  were  wanting," 
he  arrived  in  Calcutta  at  the  close  of  the 
year  lS5i. 

A  few  extracts  from  the  Bishop's  journal 
must  suffice  for  the  following  year. 

"  February  oth.     On   Saturday    the   East 


LIFE   OF   BISnOP    WILSON.  317 

Indian  Railway  was  publicly  inaugurated 
by  the  Governor-General.  Alcoves  with 
flowers  formed  a  covered  way  from  the  Ghat 
to  an  ornamented  steamer  ;  the  orher  alcoves 
led  np  to  the  station-house.  At  nine  o'clock 
the  Governor-General  arrived,  and  I  read  a 
prayer,  in  my  church  robes,  before  the  train 
started.  Mr.  Fisher,  who  was  acting  as 
archdeacon,  and  Mr.  Bloomfield,  in  their 
surplices,  read  some  jwrtions  of  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. Twenty-four  carriages  then  carried 
six  or  seven  hundred  gentlemen  to  Burdwin, 
a  distance  of  sixty -seven  miles,  in  three  hours. 
There  a  breakfast  was  prepared,  and  a  number 
of  excellent  speeches  were  afterwards  deliv- 
ered. I  reached  home  by  half-past  seven, 
after  eleven  hours  of  great  heat  and  fatigue." 
,  Dr.  Macdougal,  of  Borneo,  having  been 
appointed  Bishop  of  Labuan,  his  consecration 
took  place  at  Calcutta.  Bishop  Wilson  thus 
refers  to  it :  "  Oct.  13.— Things  are  moving 
on.  The  Bishop-elect  of  Labuan  arrived  last 
week  ;  Bishop  Smith  (Victoria)  on  the  10th  ; 
Bishop  and  Mrs.  Dealtry  (Madras)  are  ex- 
27* 


318  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSOX. 

pected  to-morrow.  Dr.  Macdoiigal,  with  liis 
buoyant  spirits,  fine  health,  and  romantic  zeal, 
is  very  much  liked.  All  the  gentry  are  asking 
him  to  dinner.  I  have  promised  him  the 
offertory  on  Thursday,  and  a  sermon  on  the 
2Sth,  for  the  benefit  of  his  Sarawak  mission.'' 
"  Monday,  October  22d.  The  consecration 
took  phice  with  wonderful  success  on  Thurs- 
day. Bishops  Dealtry  and  Smith  only  just 
arrived  in  time.  Dealtry  preached  a  glorious 
sermon,  which  will  be  printctl.  The  cathe- 
dral was  crowded.  Hundreds  crammed 
themselves  into  every  corner  ;  but  liundrcds 
could  get  no  admission.  Tiie  sight  of  the  two 
assistant  Bishops  conducting  the  Bi5;h(»j)-elect 
in  his  rochet  from  the  distant  vestry  and 
presenting  him  to  me  was  most  affecting; 
and  when,  having  returned  to  robe  himself, 
he  kneeled  at  the  communion  rails,  the  con- 
gregation seemed  overwhelmed.  The  j.res- 
ence  of  three  Bishops,  in  thi'  heart  ol' luatlicu 
India,  setting  apart  a  Missionary  Bish..p  fur 
the  immense  field  of  Borneo,  was  an  event 
almost  miraculous." 


Chapter  f  lucntn-liftfr. 

LAST    CHARGE    TO    THE    CLERGY — SEVENTH    VISITATION 

BRAVE  OLD  MAX — FAILING  STREXCJTII — HIS  RESOLUTION 
TO  DIE  AT  HIS  POST — THE  INDIAN  MUTINY — TRYING 
THE  EFFECTS  OF  SEA  AIR — LAST  ORDINATION — CON- 
FINED   TO   THE    BED "l  AM  TALKIN(i  IN  MY  SLEEP" — 

ALL  IS  PEACE ITNEHAL  SOLEMNITIES BRIEF  EPITOME 

OF     HIS      LABORS CHARACTER — HIS      BENEFACTIONS 

PECULIARITIES. 

N  tlie  23d  of  October,  1855,  Bishop 
Wilson  delivered  his  last  charge  to 
his  clergy.  It  was  founded  upon  the 
address  of  St.  Paul  to  the  presbyfers 
of  the  Church  at  Epliesus,  and  was 
full  of  wholesome  and  fatherly  coun- 
sels ;  and  then,  though  seventy-eight  years 
of  age,  the  brave  old  man  set  out  on  another 
visitation,  liis  seventh  and  last.  It  will  be 
needless  to  go  much  into  details.  The 
ground  passed  over  was,  for  the  most  part, 
what  we  are  already  familiar  with.  The  last 
Burmese  war  had,  however,  greatly  enlarged 
the  British  possessions  in  India,  and  when- 


320  LIFE    OF   BIS  nop    WILSON. 

ever  the  Bishop  visited  any  new  points,  he 
manifested  his  accustonied  enemv  in  having 
churches  establislied,  and  otlier  imj>oitant 
agencies  i)Ut  in  motion.  His  route  includttl 
both  Madras  and  Ceylon.  He  was  now  sub- 
ject to  more  frequent  attacks  of  sickness,  and 
early  in  the  year  18.57  lie  had  a  fall,  which 
fractured  his  ihigh-bone  ;  but,  through  the 
mercy  of  God,  lie  recovered  much  more 
speedily  than  cuuhl  have  been  expected  at 
his  advanced  age. 

IJ.is  children  became  more  farncst  than 
ever  that  he  should  retire  from  jmblic  dut}' 
and  spend  his  last  days  in  the  bosom  of  his 
fa.iiily.  lie  still  insisted,  however,  that  a 
Bishop  should  die  at  his  post,  and  he  accord- 
ingly remained  where  he  was. 

About  this  time  the  terrible  Indian  mutiny 
began,  but  this  is  no  place  to  detail  it*  hor- 
rors. While  all  about  him  were  bi'wildered 
and  alarmed,  the  Bishop  was  calm  and  col- 
lected, and  called  upon  them  to  look  to  God 
for  help.  Calcutta  was  crowded  with  fugi- 
tives from   the   upper  provinces,    who   had 


LIFE    OF    BISHOP    AVILSON.  321 

barely  escaped  with  their  lives,  and  he  cheer- 
fully bore  his  part  towards  the  relief  of  their 
pressing  wants. 

Towards  the  last  of  October  his  health 
became  so  feeble,  that  lie  was  once  more 
urged  to  try  the  eflects  of  a  short  sea-voyage. 
On  his  return  to  Calcutta  he  was  able  to 
hold  an  ordination  in  the  cathedral.  As  the 
Bishop  expressed  it,  when  speaking  of  liis 
failing  health,  "  Tlie  old  building  may  be 
patched  up  a  little,  bnt  it  is  worn  out.  The 
order  of  nature  fixes  its  speedy  dissolution, 
and  the  purposes  of  tlio  '  only  wise  God' 
will  direct  the  time  and  tlie  way." 

Again,  at  the  repeated  requests  of  his 
friends,  he  went  out  to  the  receiving-ship, 
cruising  around  the  sand-heads,  that  he 
might  breathe  the  sea  air,  but  he  expected 
little  benefit  from  the  change.  His  antici- 
pations proved  true.  He  preached  to  those 
on  board  until  the  27th  of  December,  when 
he  became  so  weak  that  he  told  those  present 
at  Divine  service  that  they  would  hear  his 
voice  no  more.     He  was  barely  able  to  reach 


322  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON. 

home.  His  last  dajs  were  spent  in  devo- 
tional exercises,  deeds  of  charity,  and  in  set- 
ting his  house  in  order,  for  his  departure 
hence. 

As  his  kind  physician  sat  by  his  bed-side, 
on  the  night  of  Januar}'-  1st,  1856,  the  Bishop 
said  to  him,  "  Now  you  had  better  go  ;  I 
only  thought  I  should  like  to  see  you  once 
again  before  you  retired."  lie  was  asked 
to  send  a  summons  at  any  time  during  the 
night  if  he  wanted  anything,  and  was  then 
recommended  to  compose  himself  to  sleep. 
"Sleep."  he  replied,  "I  am  asleep  already. 
I  AM  TALKING  TS  stY  SLEEP."  Remarkable 
words !  Death  in  his  case  wa.s  felt  without 
being  realized.  It  was  the  "  Sleep  of 
Death." 

As  the  Archdeacon  was  rising  early  in  the 
morning  to  visit  the  sick-room,  a  servant 
came  running  to  call  him.  Tlirough  the 
night,  it  appeared,  the  Bishoi)  ^>»d  ^een  some- 
what restless,  as  aforetime.  At  half  past  five 
in  the  morning  he  had  his  usual  cup  of  tea; 
and  the  bearer,  at  his  wish,  combed  the  few 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  323 

thin,  white  hairs  which  were  to  him  "  a  crown 
of  glory."  He  then  lay  down  again,  and 
seemed  to  fall  into  a  doze.  His  old  and 
faithful  Sirdar,  the  man  who  had  assisted 
him  when  liillen  in  the  verandah,  the  year 
before,  sat  with  the  other  servants,  just  in- 
side the  door,  waiting  and  watchino-. 

As  time  passed  on,  they  were  all  struck 
with  the  unusual  stillness.     Kot  a  sound  was 
heard  —  not   a   movement   made.      All   was 
silent  and  motionless.     At  length  they  be- 
came frightened,  and  one  ran  for  help.     The 
Archdeacon  hurried  to  the  room,  and  found 
the  Bishop  lying  calm,  and  apparently  un- 
conscious.    Doubttul  wla-tiier  what  he  saw 
was  life  or  death,  and  unwilling  to  utter  a 
disturbing    word,   he    instantly    knelt   down 
and   oflered  up  the  prayer  appointed  for  a 
departing  soul:   "Wash  it  in  tlie  blood  of 
that  immaculate  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  take 
away  the  sins  of  the  world,  that  whatever 
delilements  it  may  have  contracted   in  the 
midst  of  this  miserable  and  naughty  world, 
through  the  lusts  of  the  flesh  or  the  wiles  of 


324  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    "SVILSON. 

Satan,  being  purged  away,  it  may  be  pre- 
sented pure  and  witliout  spot  before  Tliee." 
Then,  rising  from  liis  kiiocs,  ho  kissed  the 
pale,  coM  cliet'k,  and  souglit  lor  any  linger- 
ing signs  of  life,  But  none  a])i)eared.  With- 
out a  struggle  or  a  sigh,  the  soul  had  loft  its 
earthly  tenement,  and  in  that  hour  the  Mas- 
ter liad  fultilled  the  oft-repeated  prayer  tiiat 
his  servant  might  **  End  well." 

Soon  a  little  group  of  mourners  stood 
around  the  lifoloss  body.  It  lay  upon  a 
couch  in  the  study  where  so  many  hours  had 
been  passed,  surrounded  by  books  and  papers, 
the  eyes  closed,  the  features  calm,  the  hands 
gently  crossed  upon  the  breast.  Dn  a  table 
by  his  sido  stood  the  desk  so  lately  opened 
by  his  trembling  hands.  There,  also,  lay  the 
broken  watch,  the  unfinished  letter,  and  the 
oft-read  Bible.  It  was  a  ^ight  inexpressibly 
aflfecting  to  those  loving  friends,  and  sent 
them  at  once  to  the  throne  of  grace  and  the 
God  of  all  comfort.  Thanksgivings  mingled 
with  their  prayers.  They  thanked  (iod  for 
liaving  taken   t<»  ]lim^t•]f  tlio  sold  of  thi>  do- 


LIFE    OF    BISEIOI'    WILSOX.  325 

parted  in  such  perfect  peace,  and  prayed  that 
they  iiiiglit  follow  liitii  as  he  had  followed. 
Christ.  Then,  rising  from  their  knees,  they 
went  to  duty.  Bishoj)  AVil<on's  funeral  took 
place  on  the  4th  of  January,  and  one  of  the 
Calcutta  journals  gives  this  account  of  it: 

"The  mortal  remains  of  this  venerable 
prelate  were  consigned  to  their  last  resting- 
place  at  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  which  was  in 
deep  mourning,  on  Monday  evening  last. 
At  about  a  quarter  after  four,  p.m.,  the  cof- 
fin, whieh  w:i>  ot"  mahogany,  covered  with 
silk  velvet,  and  suitably  adorned,  was  re- 
moved from  the  Bishop's  palace  to  the  ca- 
thedral. It  was  placed  on  a  large  bier,  borne 
by  twelve  English  sailors — picked  men,  of 
good  repute,  from  11.  M.  S.  Hotspur,  then 
lying  in  the  river — and  was  followed  by  the 
Governor-General,  the  Lieutenant-Governor, 
the  Members  of  Council,  the  Judges  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  the  Secretaries,  many  civil 
and  military  officers,  almost  all  the  clergy 
and  missionaries,  and  a  large  concourse  of 
people  of  all  classes,  male  and  female.  In 
28 


326  LIFE   OF   BISnOP    WILSOX. 

this  order  the  solemn  procession  arrived  at 
the  gate  of  tlie  cathedral,  where  it  was  pre- 
ceded hy  the  Reverend  Messrs.  Moule  and 
Burney,  the  former  reading  a  portion  of  the 
burial  service,  till  they  entered  the  church, 
when  the  rest  of  the  service  was  gone  through 
by  both  of  the  clergymen  above  named. 
The  doleful  peals  of  the  organ,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  service,  added  to  the  solemnity 
of  the  occasion  ;  and  though  the  cathedral 
was  crowded  to  sutFocation,  the  quiet  main- 
tained throughout  was  admirable.  Every 
one  vied  with  his  fellow  to  have  a  last  part- 
ing look  at  the  place  where  the  venerable 
divine's  remains  were  laid,  and  all  seemed 
impressed  with  deep  sorrow  for  the  loss  they 
had  sustained.  The  coffin  is  laid  inmiediatc- 
ly  under  the  communion-table,  in  a  vault 
constructed  for  the  purpose.  The  bells  of  nil 
the  Established  churches  sounded  their  sol- 
emn knell  from  three  o'clock  to  the  hour  of 
burial.  Thus  ended  the  career  of  this  pious 
and  faithful  servant  of  Christ.  Overwhelmed 
with  the  care  of  his  flock,  he  spared  neither 


LITE   OF   BISHOP   WILSON.  327 

health  nor  comfort,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eightj,  to  watch  over  then-  spiritual  interests, 
even  to  the  last  moment  of  his  existence. 
His  charitable  disposition  and  kindness  of 
heart  will  ever  be  remembered  with  feeline:s 
of  deep  and  lasting  gratitude.  His  end  was 
peace.  AVell  may  he  have  said,  with  St. 
Paul,  'I  have  fought  a  good  fight,  I  have 
finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the  faith. 
Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown 
of  righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  right- 
eous Judge,  shall  give  me  in  tliat  day.'  " 

"The  Church  of  England  in  India,"  says 
another  newspaper  of  the  day,  "  when  Bishop 
AVilson  arrived,  had  i'ew  chaplains,  few 
churches,  imperfect  organization,  and  no  in- 
fluence beyond  that  which  had  been  gained 
by  Heber,  Corrie,  Martyn,  and  a  few  more, 
in  a  comparatively  narrow  circle.  He  saw 
the  whole  aspect  of  things  changed,  and  the 
energy  of  the  Christian  community  expand- 
ing with  the  increase  of  the  diocese.  His 
preaching  in  all  parts  of  India,  contributions 
to  religious  purposes,  the  example  of  his  zeal, 


328  LIFE   OF   BISHOP   "WnLSON. 

his  firmness  in  resisting  doctrinal  error,  his 
growing  catholicity  of  sj^irit,  and  his  piivate 
influence  concurred  powerfully  with  other 
causes  to  strengthen  the  English  Church,  to 
raise  the  tune  of  public  sentiment,  and  to 
attract  to  India  the  attenlion  of  many  who 
never  had  thought  of  her  before.  We  do 
not  propose  to  sketch  minutely  his  public  or 
his  private  character,  but  nr>ne  who  knew 
Bishop  Wilson  can  iiave  overlooked  the 
steadfastness  of  his  friendships,  the  warmth 
of  his  piety,  the  clearness  of  his  views,  the 
keenness  of  his  sagacity,  the  power  of  his 
memory,  and  the  undiminished  vigor  of  his 
understanding  to  the  close. 

"His  acquaintance  with  many  of  the  best 
men  of  bygi>ne  years  had  given  him  a  fund 
of  interesting  knowledge,  and  his  extensive 
experience  of  life  enabled  him  to  discern  the 
characters  of  men  with  remarkably  quick 
penetration.  There  have  been  many  who 
have  mistaken  both  his  character  and  man- 
ner; many  who  have  been  unable  to  appre- 
ciate his  sterling  excellences  and  the  difli- 


LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  329 

culties  of  his  position  ;  many  who  have  been 
offended  by  his  preaching.  But  his  powers 
were  as  undoubted  as  his  zeal ;  and  England 
will  cherish  his  memory.  Many  such  she 
lias  given  to  India  for  other  kinds  of  public 
service,  and  recent  intelligence  has  shown 
the  promptitude  of  our  countrymen  to  de- 
mand for  them  justice  and  rewards.  But 
'  peace  hatli  her  victories  no  less  renowned 
than  war,'  and  we  doubt  not  that  the  linished 
course  of  tliis  venerable  servant  of  God  will 
strike  a  chord  in  the  heart  of  England,  and 
kindle  into  life  the  latent  energies  of  many 
who  will  emulate  his  faith  and  holiness." 

The  Bishop  left  eight  thousand  volumes  for 
the  use  of  St.  Paul's  Cathedral ;  and  to  his 
successors  in  office,  his  carriages,  and  many 
other  things  which  would  be  useful  to  them. 
His  legacies  to  various  Church  societies  and 
benevolent  institutions  were  large  and  liberal. 

Tliis  sketch  of  Bishop  Wilson  would  hardly 

be  complete  without  a  brief  reference  to  his 

jpeculiarities.     "  He  suffered  them  to  grow," 

remarks  Mr.  Bateman,   "  and  they  became 

28* 


330  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

marked  features.  It  was  not  originality  or 
eccentricity  so  much  as  peculiarity  and 
oddity — an  odd  M'ay  of  saying  and  doing  odd 
things.  And  yet  there  was  something  of 
originality  in  what  was  thus  done  and  said  — 
something  of  set  purpose — something  which 
gave  point  to  the  expression  and  took  firm 
hold  upon  the  mcmury.  It  wjis  discernible 
in  his  conversation.  To  young  chaplains, 
when  first  they  arrived  in  India,  he  would 
say,  'Don't  see  the  sun  for  two  years.* 
'  Don't  eat  too  much — don't  stuff.'  '  The  most 
healthy  comple.xion  for  India  is  that  of  a 
boiled  chicken.  The  great  secret  of  health 
is  a  contented  mind.'  " 

Speaking  of  a  missionary  who  had  sought 
and  obtained  a  chaj)lain(y,  he  said,  "  Ah  I 
he  was  a  true  missionary  ;  perhai)s  there  was 
not  a  better  in  India.  But  Satan  and  Eve 
have  persuaded  him  to  (pi it  the  W(»rk." 

One  of  the  chaplains  in  the  upper  prov- 
inces had  preached  a  >ermon,  in  his  presence, 
strongly  directed  against  Calvinism.  The 
argument  was  elaborate,  and  claimed  to  be 


LIFE    OF   BISHOP    WTLSON.  331 

triumphant.  The  Bishop  said  nothing  at 
the  time  ;  but  when  about  to  step  into  his 
palanquin  and  leave  the  station,  he  shook 
liands  kindly  with  the  chaplain's  wife,  and 
thanked  her  for  her  courtesy,  adding,  "  Please 
to  tell  your  husband  that  he  has  not  settled 
that  question.'' 

lie  would  often  join  together  a  commenda- 
tion and  a  caution.  Thus,  introducing  a 
chaplain  to  tlie  Governor,  he  mentioned  him 
as  one  "  who  bids  fair  to  be  very  valuable  to 
us,  if  only  God  keeps  him  humble." 

It  appeared  in  his  actions.  "When  ill, 
once,  at  Serampore,  and  unable  to  join  the 
dinner-circle,  a  little  portion  had  been  sent 
into  his  study.  He  had  just  eaten  it,  when 
the  doctor  called  to  inquire  after  his  health. 
"  How  are  you  now,  my  lord  ?"  "  Better, 
thank  you.  1  have  been  eating  a  little  din- 
ner." "  It  will  be  well  for  you,  then,  to  lie 
down  by-and-by,  and  rest  for  an  hour  or  two." 
He  rang  his  hand-bell,  and  when  the  servants 
appeared,  said,  "  Lord  Sahib  sota"  (the  Lord 
Bishop  sleeps).     The  next  instant  he  had  left 


332  LIFE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON. 

the  study,  lain  down  in  liis  bed,  and  covered 
himself  up  for  sleep,  leaving  the  doctor 
amazed  at  the  sudden  result  of  his  prescrip- 
tion. 

It  characterized  his  e.\j)08ition8  of  Scri|>- 
t.ure.  One  of  liis  cliaplains  was  ordered  up 
to  the  Punjaub,  but  his  wife  was  unwilling 
to  go.  In  the  course  of  the  morning's  read- 
ing it  happened  that  this  passage  occurred : 
"Having  his  children  and  his  household  in 
subjection  witli  all  gravity."  "Now,"  said 
the  Bishop,  commenting  on  it,  "I  don't  call 
it  having  his  household  in  stil»jcction  with  all 
gravity,  when  one  of  my  chajilains  is  ordered 
up  to  Lahore,  and  his  wife  says  she  won't  go." 

It  sometimes  apj)cared  in  his  family  devo- 
tions. Not  that  they  were  tw  fann"liar— for 
familiarity  is  the  mark  of  a  child,  and  (iod 
was  indeed  his  Father  and  his  Friend — but 
he  went  very  mtieh  into  detail,  and  ran 
sometimes  into  discussion  and  narration. 
He  would  tell  how  this  thing  happened,  or 
that ;  why  he  had  done  this,  an.l  whv  that. 
If  he  returned  thanks  for  deliverance  from 


LITE   OF   BISHOP    WILSON.  333 

shipwreck,  lie  would  tell  how  the  vessel 
rolled,  and  the  boiler  burst,  and  the  passen- 
gers were  obliged  to  hold  by  post  and  rail. 

"  I  am  60  surprised  at  the  Bishop's  pray- 
ers," said  a  lady  who  was  staying  at  the 
palace ;  "  are  they  really  prayers  ?"  "  I  will 
tell  liini  what  you  say,"  said  his  chaplain, 
"  and  ask  him  your  question."  "Tell  her," 
said  the  Bishop,  wIkii  this  purpose  was  car- 
ried into  eftect,  "  to  read  her  Bible,  and  mark 
the  prayers  of  Moses,  David,  Isaiah,  Jere- 
miah, Daniel,  Nehemiah,  and  others ;  she 
will  find  that  discussion  and  narration  is  the 
basis  of  prayer.     All  these  talked  with  God." 

As  for  his  faults,  they  will  have  been  dis- 
cerned by  the  reader  lung  ago.  No  attempt 
has  been  made  to  disguise  or  conceal  them. 
They  all  lay  upon  the  side  of  hasty  impulse, 
quick  action,  sharp  words,  want  of  considera- 
tion for  others,  a  sanguine  temperament, 
something  of  egotism,  and  occasional  inaccu- 
racy of  statement.  If  the  reader  has  the 
heart  to  dwell  upon  them  after  the  d-eep  self- 
abasement  they  have  caused  and  the  lowly 


334  LIFE   OF    BISHOP    WILSON. 

confessions  thev  have  called  forth,  he  is  of 
course  at  liberty  to  do  so.  They  are  not 
denied.  All  with  whom  the  Bishop  came  in 
contact  have  felt  them  in  their  turns;  but  all 
with  one  accord  enshrined  his  niemoiy  in 
tlieir  hearts ;  all  revere  his  name ;  all  ac- 
knowledge his  worth  ;  all  assert  his  piety  ; 
all  would  fain  tread  in  his  steps ;  all  say, 
with  Allan  Wcbl),  a|>ostropliizitig  his  lifeless 
body — "  A  Brave  axi>  \oblk  Soldier  ;  a 
Wise,  Bold  Leader.  I  Esteem  rr  tiik 
Greatest  Privilege  of  my  Life  to  have 
Xkown  AjfD  Loved  LLim." 


CKinCAL   NOTICES. 


THE 


HOLY  DAYS  OF  THE  CHURCH 


BY   MRS.    MARY   E.   BRADLEY. 


This  IB  one  of  three  Church  books  which  we  wish  to  be 
used  in  training  up  the  young  in  the  knowledge  of  reli- 
gion and  discipline  of  the  Church.  Fiist  should  come  Mrs. 
D.  P.  Siinforrl's  "Church  Primer"  for  the  beginners;  next, 
this  lK)ok,  which  gives  the  Liturgical  Order,  and  explains 
to  youthful  capacities  the  Holy  days  in  the  Christian  year, 
imparting  much  collateral  information  ;  and  third.  Dr. 
Coxe's  ••'I'houghU  on  the  Services."  ITiey  all,  taken  in 
roUtion,  would  build  up  a  young  person  into  being  an  in- 
telligent, conscientious  Churchman,  and,  while  creating 
attachment  for  the  Church,  would  furnish  him  reasons  for 
his  devotional  practicx'8,  and  make  him  strong  again.st 
gainsayers.  Not  that  we  consider  that  these  volumes  con- 
tain all  that  may  be  SJiid  in  fuvor  of  the  Church  system,  or 
tdl  knowledge  couc-erning  it,  but  that  they  are  excellently 
suggestive,  being  free  from  polemical  discussion,  and  ad- 
mirably adapted  for  the  designed  i)urpose.  The  book  be- 
fore us  is  beautifully  gotten  up,  having  several  engrav- 
ings; but  we  recommend  it  specially  for  its  contents  in 
poetry  and  prose,  which  answer  the  question,  "What 
mean  ye  by  thii  service?" — Calendar. 
G4 


CKITICAL    NOTICES. 

ADDRESSES 

TO 

CANDIDATES  FOR  OIIDIXATION, 

ON   TUI 

QUESTIONS  IN  Till:  OIIIUNATION  SKHVJCE. 

i;r  THK   HISHOP  <iF  OXFOED. 


Every  Prit-st,  when  not  prcvonU-*!  by  Ih'*  iirgont  call*  of 
panxliial  <liity,  ouRlit  to  review  the  Ortliimtion  S«Tvicc  on 
ever)'  annivenwiry  of  his  (ulmitoUun  to  holy  onlrnt.  Here 
is  a  iMxik  well  worthy  his  attention  in  connection  with 
this  8\il>ject.  It  hius  an  A<liin's«  Xvuetl  on  ••iwh  inquiry  put 
to  the  candidate  for  Ordination — twelve  Addromrs  in  all. 
It  is  needleKS  to  say  that  they  are  highly  HUggentive,  In- 
Btructivo,  and  encourapinp.  while  ahoundinp  with  t«>lemn 
warnings,  since  they  were  delivere«l  by  such  a  man  as  the 
Wslinp  of  Oxford,  and  delivered  by  him  at  gncci-KUve 
Ordinations  in  his  dioccso,  Put  we  recommend  this  vol- 
ume specially  to  students  in  Divinity,  who  have  yet  in 
jirospect  their  reception  <jf  the  a<mniii«ion  of  a  Minister 
of  Jesus  Christ,  'lliey  will  tind  in  this  book  much  cx- 
phinative  of  the  meaning  of  the  Oniinal,  and  much  noblj 
Ciilculatc<i  to  8tir  their  holii-st  affections,  ami  to  induce 
many  serious  reflections  on  the  rexponsibilities  of  the 
sacred  oflice.  This  would,  indeed,  con»titutc  a  good  ttixt- 
book  in  Pastoral  Theoloijy. — Calendar. 
65 


CRITICAL   NOTICES. 


BLIND    LILIAS; 

OH, 

F  K  L  I.  O  W  S  H  I*P     WITH     GOD 

A  lALE  FOll  THE  YOUXG. 

BY  A  L-VDV. 


The  triumphs  of  evangelical  principle  are  graphically 
delinoaUxl  in  this  Biniplcand  iK'autiful  narrative.  It  t^Us 
of  dis<  ipline  in  aniiction,  and  of  its  gradual  work  in  re- 
fining and  rectifying  corrupt  nature.  By  degrees  the 
perverse  will  is  overcome,  and  the  heart  renewed  in 
rightcou.snes.'*,  till  the  kingdom  of  Go<i  is  estaldlshed  in 
the  soul.  With  an  intimate  knowled;j;e  of  human  nature, 
and  a  charming  naturahu-ss,  the  laiiy  author  has  brought 
before  us  the  life-like  portmiture  of  a  young  and  ingenu- 
ous girl,  affectionate,  impresi*ible,  and  impulsive,  but 
wayward  and  self-willed  ;  full  of  warm  and  generous 
feelings,  but  perverse,  proud,  and  passionate  ;  with  a  mind 
of  superior  power  and  great  intelligence,  but  headstrong 
and  impatient  of  control — a  character  needing  the  severe 
clia-stcning  with  which,  in  the  providence  of  God,  she  is 
visitetl,  to  prepare  her  heart  to  receive  the  heavenly 
leaven.  Finally,  the  child  of  nature  Ix'comes  the  cliild 
of  grace,  and  walks  in  foUowtihlp  with  God.  Tliis  story 
abounds  with  interesting  incidents.  ITie  volume  is  beau- 
tifully gotten  up,  and  adorned  with  plates.  -Calendar. 
66 


CRITIC  A  r,    NOTICES. 

Kalli,  the  Esquimaux  Christian.    A  Memoir.    By  the 

Kev.  T.  B  Murray,  M.A.     New  York  :  The  Church  Book 

Society.     1861. 

The  conversion  of  this  young  man  is  one  of  the  fruits 
of  Arctic  expeditions.  In  November,  1851,  Knllihirua  wivs 
placed  in  the  Missionary  College  of  St.  Augustine,  Cun- 
terhury,  England,  at  the  siigpe.«<tion  of  the  Society  for  tho 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel.  Tlie  intention  wa«  to  fit  hira 
for  missionary  work  m  hi.s  native  land.  He  met  the  de- 
sires of  his  Christian  friends  in  respect  to  progress  in  liter- 
ary and  spiritual  preparation  for  his  designed  work.  He 
has  been  of  great  help  in  compiling  a  Ctreenland  f^^iui- 
maux  Vocabulary.  But  he  departed  this  life  in  June, 
185G,  through  a  disease  aggravated  or  accelerated  by  bis 
close  application  in  St.  John's  College,  Newfoundland. 
This  memoir  contains  mu<h  collateral  infortnation  ain- 
cerning  the  Esquimaux  countrj',  the  inh.U.itants,  thiir 
customs,  religious  notions,  etc.,  I>eside8  many  u.seful  re- 
flections.— Cikitiltir. 

Christmas  Day  tells  how  plea.««intly  n  little  boy  spent 
this  great  Festival,  and  with  what  a  happy  heart  he  went 
to  his  bed  at  night,  Ix-cause  he  hail  endeavored  not  to  be 
selfish  in  his  enjoyments,  but  mneml>ering  the  text, 
"  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  pcsicc,  good- 
will toward  men."  had  i)nitticed  the  " good-will"  there 
enjoined.— CAf/rcA  Ititdligauxr. 

The  Church  Book  Society  has  is.sued,  in  neat  form,  the 
admirable  sermon  preached  at  the  late  annual  meeting  in 
New  Haven  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Randall.  It  discu-sses  the 
mutual  relations  between  "  Our  Sunday  Schools  and  our 
Country,"  in  a  manner  which  shows  at  once  the  deep 
thinker,  the  sound  Churchman,  and  the  true  patriot.— 
CItitrch  Journal. 

73 


CKITICAL   NOTICES. 

"We  have  received  from  the  General  Protestant  Episcopal 
Sunday  School  Union  and  Church  Book  Society,  New  York, 
F.  D.  Harriman,  Agent,  the  following : 

The  Holy  Days  of  the  Church.    By  Mrs.  Mary  E. 

Bradley. 

Plain  explanations  of  our  Holy  Days,  designed  especially 
for  children.     It  is  crowded  with  beautiful  illustrations. 
Basil,  the  Fai'hful  Eoy. 
Dora  and   Charlie-  hy  the  author  of  "Little  Dora:" 

and  The  Blind  Boy,  by  Rev.  H.  Hastings  Weld. 
The  Eose  JPuds.     By  Mrs.   D.   p.   Sanford,   author  of 

"  First  Scripture  Lessons,"  etc. 

Little  Mary's  Pet  and  The  Arab  Horse. 
The  Faithfiil  Friends  and  The  Swallow. 

Five  pretty  82nio  books,  of  about  OU  pages  each,  foi 
young  children.  Elegantly  illustrated.  The  first  three 
are  especially  good. — Episcopal  Recorder. 

Thoughts  on  the  Services.  Designed  as  an  Introduc- 
tion to  the  Liturgy,  and  an  Aid  to  its  Devout  U.se.  By 
A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  Kector  of  Grace  Church,  Baltimore. 
Third  American  edition. 

This  admirable  work  was  republished  from  Dr.  Coxe's 
contributions  to  a  periodical  which  originally  appeared  hi 
1845,  and  has  already  passed  through  two  editions,  besides 
being  reprinted  in  England.  It  will  prove  an  acceptable 
and  valuable  volume  to  all,  but  particularly  in  missionary 
districts,  where  families  are  remote  from  the  privileges  of 
the  Church,  and  to  the  young,  who  require  to  learn  that 
the  arrangement  of  the  lessons  and  other  portions  of 
Scripture  is  a  commentary  of  itself,  and  that  the  word 
thus  fitly  spoken  is  indeed  "  like  apples  of  gold  in  pictures 
of  silver."— C7<MrcA  Record. 

74 


CRmCAL    NOTICKS. 

Addresses  to  the  Candidates  for  Ordination,  on  the 

Questions  in  the  Oidinali'.n  Service.     By  tbe  Hiahop  nf 

Oxford.     I'rice  $1. 

Wc  arc  glad  to  .^ce  this  most  valuable  book  publihhcd, 
and  to  see  it  appjirently  endorsed  in  quarters  where  the 
Bishop  has  too  often  been  censured.  It  in  tvidrnt,  it  is 
thought,  a  great  good  ain  come  out  of  him,  and  we  rejuic« 
it  i.s  thought  so.  No  better  means  can  In?  employe*!  to 
raise  in  men's  thoughts  the  stiindurd  of  minUlerinl  piety 
and  duty  than  tlie  circulatii>u  and  rcoiling  of  this  Iniok. 
A  note  to  this  American  edition  snys  tnilr  :  '*  Itarcly  is 
one  permitted  to  read  a  work  so  rich  with  the  sweetuc« 
and  riuliual  with  the  lovt-linei*  of  pivty.  so  bathed  in  ilie 
spiritual  deeps  of  devotion,  s»i  strict  in  its  portraiture  of 
holiness,  wiiile,  at  the  same  time,  so  just  and  judicious  in 
it9  a'ihercnce  to  order  ;  presenting  the  Uuspil  of  Ji-sus  in 
the  Cliurch  of  Jt-sus  ;  go  fn-e  from  the  extn-mes  of  parti- 
sans ;  exasgerating  neither  the  subji-ctive  nor  objtvtivo 
influences  of  Christianity,  l>ut  according  to  the  pn>portions 
of  faith,  atijiisting  ihe  inward  and  outward  of  religion  in 
a  divine  harmony.— Z?ann«-  o/  the  Crott. 

'riie  Church  Bt>ok  Society  lays  four  new  l>ook«  on  our 
table.  Mrs.  Sanford's  "  Ilo»ebu<U'  is  s  ver)  little  volume, 
with  cuts  much  less.attractive  than  the  lively  work  of  the 
popular  authoress.  "  Jw«y  Muores  Four  Gift^.'  and 
"  Not  Lost,  but  Laid  Aside,"  are  two  nice  tales,  the  latter 
bearing  on  the  title  i«ge  "a  trucstory."  'llie  fourth  isu 
memoir  of  •Kalli.  th.-  r><iuimau.\  l"hristian,"  which  isu 
brief  but  very  iaten  sting  narrative.  Kolli  was  Uiplixed 
in  the  old  church  t.f  S.  Martin,  Canterbury,  and  died  soon 
after  in  Ncwfounlland.  while  the  devoted  Bishop  of  New- 
foundhmd  was  in  the  act  of  commending  his  soul  to  God 
in  prayer  — Cliurch  JtAiriud. 

lb 


CRITICAL   NOTICES. 

Little  Mary's  Pets.  This  is  designed  to  excite  senti- 
ments of  kindness  toward  the  dumb  creatures.  Be- 
tween the  same  covers  is  a  line  story  of 

The  Arab  Horse,  showing  the  intelligence,  docility,  and 
natural  uoMoiu-ss'of  that  animal. 

The  Faithful  Friends.  This  story  ought  to  be  read 
aft«r  the  ' '  Faithful  Boy . ' '  In  the  same  volume  is  a  tale 
about 

The  Sparrow,  which  gives  an  insight  into  the  nature 
and  habits  of  that  bird. 

Basil,  the  Faithful  Boy.  An  entertaining  story,  incul- 
cating a  good  religious  moral. 

Dora  and  Charlie.  By  the  author  of  "Little  Dora." 
Here  ib  a  pleasing  narrative  of  two  afifectionate  chil- 
dren, and  of  the  Christian  influences  brought  to  bear  on 
them  in  forming  their  character.  In  this  book,  too,  is 
another  story  entitled 

The  Blind  Boy,  which  brings  before  the  reader  a  picture 
of  hiiiiseliold  synipathy  and  tenderness,  sanctified  by 
religious  princijiles. 

The  Old  Cabinet;   or,  Leigh  Thornton's  Choice.      By 

Helen  Wall  Pierson. 

This  is  a  larger  publication  of  the  Church  Book  Society 
than  those  just  noticed,  and  though  we  have  spoken  of  it 
so  recently,  we  take  occasion  to  recommend  it  again  ;  for 
its  moral  is  so  excellent,  and  the  teaching  of  it  so  impor- 
tant, that  we  wish  that  it  might  be  read,  not  only  by 
youth,  but  by  parents  who  wish  their  children  to  grow  up 
and  be  honest  men,  lirm  in  their  integrity,  ready  to  sacri- 
fice selfishness,  and  willing  to  render  justice,  whether  or 
not  compelle  1  by  statute.  Procure  this  book,  and  read  it 
aloud  in  your  family,  and  talk  over  its  contents. — Calendar. 
76 


CRITICAL    NOTICKS. 

Thoughts  on  the  Services.  Pt-signed  as  an  Introduc- 
tiun  to  the  Liturgy,  and  an  Aid  to  its  Devout  Use.  By 
,  A.  Cleveland  Co.xe,  Rector  of  Grace  Church,  Baltimore. 
We  are  happy  to  phue  again  in  our  columns  the  title  of 
a  book  which  we  highly  esteem  and  desire  to  be  widely 
circulated.  First  published  two  years  ago,  it£  third  edition 
is  now  rapidly  selling  otf.  Tliis  work,  a£  now  published 
has  been  greatly  improved  and  enlarged  since  its  first  pub- 
lication. Every  person  desiring  an  intelligent  apprecia- 
tion of  the  Church  Service  should  pt^ruse  this  book,  which 
explains,  in  an  interesting  manner,  the  connection  and  re- 
lation of  the  different  parts  of  the  Liturgioil  order.  Wo 
recommend  these  "Thoughts'  to  the  attention  of  young 
pers«ins  who  would  have  their  eyes  and  heart£  open  to  the 
beauty,  excellence,  and  Scriptural  charoiter  of  the  Lit- 
urgy.— CaUndar. 

The  Children's  Chant  Book  is  a  brief  but  very  good 

selection  of  cliaiits  ;uid  uuils,  juid  is  st>ld  cheap — the  one 
great  requisite  for  Sunday  Schools  and  gtnend  use.  It  is  32 
pages,  and  only  three  cenU.  It  contains  13  chant*  (of  which 
one  is  given  twice),  with  two  rcspt)nse8  to  the  Command- 
ments, three  Glorias,  and  a  Triaaffion.  At  the  end  are  The 
Christmas  Trtt.  The  Chnstnuu  CaiUata,  Tht  Thrte  Kings  of  Ori- 
ent, and  Carol,  Brothers,  Carol. — Churdi  Journal. 

Christmas-Tide,  and  its  Customs.    By  the  Rev.  t.  b. 

.MuiT.iy,  M.A. 

A  book  for  the  season,  givin?  a  brief  account  of  ancient 
Chrihtm;is  customs,  some  of  which  are  still  retained  in 
England;  and  also  pointing  out  the  way  in  which  we 
should  individually  apply  the  religious  teachings  of  the 
day.  Three  hymns  for  the  Christmas  festivals  ore  bound 
in  the  same  volume. —CAurcA  IiUtUigencer. 
77 


CEITICAL    NOTICES. 

The  Lily  of  Tiflis.     A  Sketch  from  Georgian  Church 

History. 

A  thrilling  story,  giving  an  account  of  the  attack  and 
overtlirow  of  the  Georgian  Christians  hy  the  Moliammedans 
under  the  fierce  Menian.  The  firm  faith  and  heroic  death 
of  the  good  Queen  Susanna  and  little  Tamar  is  a  touching 
exhibition  of  what  the  Christian  religion  can  fit  one  to  en- 
dure. Through  mental  and  bodily  anguish  they  passed 
alike  unshaken,  sustained  by  the  religion  which  they  pro- 
fessed. This  is  one  of  a  series  of  tales  now  being  published 
to  illustrate  the  chief  events  in  ecclesiastical  history,  thus 
enabling  the  general  reader  to  become  acquainted  with 
facts  otherwise  scarcely  known  to  any  but  the  student  of 
divinity. — Church  Intelligencer. 

The  Life  of  Jeremy  Taylor,  Bishop  of  Dowti,  Connor, 

and  Dromore.     By  George  L.  Duyckinck. 

We  take  pleasure  in  bringing  this  little  volume  to  the 
notice  of  our  readers,  many  of  whom,  we  are  sure,  must 
be  hearty  admirers  of  that  most  excellent  man,  Jeremy 
Taylor,  most  justly  called  by  Coleridge  "The  Shakspeare 
of  Theolog)'. ' '  The  truth  and  beauty  of  the  title  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  poet  have  been  so  widely  recognized, 
that  it  now  seems  inseparable  from  the  name.  Mr.  Duyck- 
inck has  been  most  successful  in  his  undertaking,  and  has 
given  the  world  a  life  of  Bishop  Taylor  adapted  equally  to 
youthful  and  mature  readers.  He  has  also  been  most 
happy  in  selecting,  so  far  as  a  small  volume  would  allow, 
the  finest  productions  of  "  The  Shakspeare  of  Theology," 
side  by  side  with  the  incidents  which  in  many  cases  gave 
them  birth.  This  biography  is  a  fitting  companion  to  the 
Life  of  George  Herbert,  also  by  Mr.  Duyckinck,  which  was 
publi.«hed  by  the  Church  Book  Society  last  year. — Chicago 
Record. 

78 


CEITICAL    NOTICES. 
THE 


ciiriirii  AM)  Till-;  ri:i:ss; 

OR, 

ClIi:i>'iIA.\     LIlKKATli:!-: 
THE  INIIEKITAXCE  OF  THE  CHlia  II, 

AMD 

THE  PRESS  AS  EDUCATOK  ANI>  AN  ETAXGEUST. 


A  Sermon  preached  in  Richmond,  at  St.  I*)kur«  Church, 
October  lllth,  18:)9.  nt  the  Eleventli  Trlrnnlal  Meeting 
of  the  Sundiiy  Schocjl  Union  and  Chiirxh  Ilook  Society. 
By  A.  Clkvela.vd  Coxe,  Kivtur  of  Grace  Churrh.  Ualti- 
more.  Fourth  Thounand.  New  York  :  OenenU  Pro- 
testant Epimxipal  S.  8.  Union  and  Churrh  IkM>k  Foci- 
ety,  No.  762  Broadway. 

"  A  sermon  of  Dr.  Cleveland  Coxe's  iwual  thooRhtfnl« 
ncss  and  fulness  of  critical  ami  imitginativc  power,  and 
more  than  usuidly  able,  urKCft  upon  American  Churchmen 
the  imperative  duty  of  using  the  powerful  inctrument  of 
the  Press  mtire  thorouphly  and  mf>re  mUously.  Hia  re- 
marks are  not  without  their  moral  to  ourwlvcs.  To  our 
colonies  they  speak  its  appnipriat<dy  and  as  urgently  m  to 
America  herself." — Guardunt  (Ijondon,  &tg.) 
79 


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